Americans Aren’t Sleeping Well: Here Are 19 Tips for Sleep Better Immediately
According to a recent survey by ResMed, many people suffer from chronic lack of good sleep. The researchers reported that only 14% of respondents reported getting more than one good night of sleep, and about 40% got three good nights weekly. More than half report excessive daytime drowsiness, and nearly 40% are irritable in the morning.
Not sleeping well can have a negative impact on your mental, physical, and emotional health. Here are some tips to help you get a better night’s sleep immediately.
1. Try the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique
The 4-7-8 Breathing technique reduces anxiety and prepares your body for sleep. Try breathing in for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds.
2. Use Aromatherapy With Specific Scents
Lavender, chamomile, and sandalwood can promote relaxation and improve sleep quality. Use these scents in your bedroom with essential oil diffusers or in your bath before bedtime.
3. Try Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation reduces physical tension and signals your body that it’s time to sleep. Start from your toes and work your way up, tensing each muscle group for a few seconds and then releasing.
4. Cool Your Bedroom
Keep your room at a comfortable temperature to sleep. Lowering the temperature of your bedroom can signal your body that it’s time to snuggle up for sleep and keep you asleep longer. The ideal temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 19.4 degrees Celsius).
5. Banish Blue Light
Blue light from screens disrupts your natural sleep-wake cycle. The blue light makes it difficult for your brain to rest, making it harder for you to fall asleep. Get out of the bad cycle and turn off electronic devices (TV, computer, phone) at least one hour before bedtime, or use blue light filters if you must use them. This simple habit promotes relaxation and the release of melatonin to help you sleep.
6. Listen to Pink Noise
Let your mind go to another place. Listening to pink noise, such as steady rainfalls or gentle ocean waves, can improve sleep quality. It helps to reduce brain wave complexity, leading to deeper and more restorative sleep stages. And it provides a consistent auditory backdrop, which can mask disruptive sounds in the environment, ensuring a more uninterrupted and peaceful night’s rest.
7. Practice Bedtime Yoga or Stretching
Gentle yoga and stretching activities help release physical tension and calm the mind, making it easier to fall and stay asleep. Focusing on breathing and mindfulness in yoga can reduce stress and anxiety levels, paving the way for a deeper, more restful night’s sleep.
8. Engage in Pre-sleep Visualization or Imagery
Engage in a calming visualization or guided imagery exercise to shift your focus away from stress and toward peaceful scenarios.
Calming visualization or guided imagery can significantly improve sleep quality by calming the mind and preparing the body for rest. By imagining peaceful, serene scenes, such as a quiet beach or a tranquil forest, your body responds by lowering your heart rate and reducing stress levels. This creates the ideal conditions for falling asleep faster and enjoying a deeper sleep. This mental exercise also distracts from daily stresses and cues the body that it’s time for rest.
9. Enjoy a Nighttime Tea
Herbal teas such as valerian root, lemon balm, passionflower, and magnesium-rich banana tea can have natural sedative effects without the need for medication.
10. Try Acupressure
Applying gentle pressure to specific points on your body, such as the spirit gate point on your wrist or the wind pool at the back of your neck, can aid relaxation and sleep. Applying gentle pressure to these areas can stimulate the body’s natural healing processes, reduce tension and stress, and improve circulation. This technique balances the body’s energy pathways to calm the mind and ease the body into a state conducive to deeper, more restful sleep.
11. Don’t Consume Caffeine Late in the Day
The majority of Americans consume caffeine, and that’s no surprise because it does an excellent job of boosting energy and enhancing your focus. Caffeine stays in your system for 6-8 hours though, so having a coffee or an energy drink in the late afternoon or early evening may keep you from sleeping well.
12. Keep a Consistent Schedule
Try to stick to a schedule where you are going to bed and waking up at nearly the same time every day. Within a few weeks you may not even need an alarm to wake up and your sleep quality will also improve.
13. Skip the Midnight Snack
Eating late at night can lower the quality of your sleep and slow the body’s natural release of hormones that help you sleep. Try not to eat more than three or four hours before bedtime for a better night’s sleep.
14. Start a Journal
If you find it difficult to fall asleep because you can’t stop your mind from racing or worrying, try journaling. Write down your thoughts, worries, and to-do lists before bed to clear your mind and ease the transition to sleep.
15. Get a Quality Mattress, Pillows, and Bedding
Have you ever noticed that you sleep better when you are on vacation sleeping in a hotel bed? The quality and condition of your mattress, pillows, and even bedding can make a huge difference in your comfort and the quality of your sleep.
16. Exercise Regularly Just Not Before Bed
Regular exercise can have a huge impact on your overall health including the quality of sleep that you get at night. You shouldn’t exercise too close to bedtime though because it can act as a stimulant due to the hormones like epinephrine and adrenaline being released.
17. Keep Naps Short
If you are laying down to recharge with a nap, keep them short, at around 20 to 30 minutes. If you sleep for too long, or take a nap too late in the day you may have difficulty sleeping that night.
18. Get Natural Light
Sunlight is a natural source of Vitamin D. Getting natural light on your skin during the daytime will help you to sleep better at night. If you live somewhere without a lot of sunlight consider a light therapy lamp, these are often prescribed to treat sleep disorders.
19. Don’t Just Lay There
If you find yourself restless and unable to sleep, don’t just lie awake in bed. If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up and do something calm and relaxing like reading a book before trying to go back to sleep.
13 Quiet Behaviors That Speak Volumes About Someone’s True Character
In the intricate tapestry of human interaction, behaviors weave the most telling threads, revealing the true fabric of our character. Far beyond the masks of curated personas and rehearsed responses lies the raw truth of who people are.
It’s not in the grand gestures or the spotlighted moments that one’s authentic self shines through, but rather in the everyday actions, the small decisions, and the way they navigate the quiet crossroads of their lives.
Behaviors can reveal a lot about a person’s true character, intentions, and values. However, it’s important to note that one instance of any behavior is not definitive; people can have bad days or make mistakes. Consistent patterns over time are more telling of someone’s true character. Here are 13 quiet behaviors that might expose who someone really is.
Beating the Burnout Blues: 25 Smart Ways to Stay Energized at Work
In a world where the hustle never takes a coffee break, burnout has become the party crasher of our professional lives. According to a Work and Well-being Survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, 60% of workers reported suffering from adverse mental and physical effects stemming from work-related stress.
By embracing a holistic approach that interweaves physical self-care, mental resilience, and emotional intelligence, we can empower ourselves to navigate the relentless demands of our professional and personal lives with renewed vigor and a balanced perspective.
Theresa Bedford is a travel and lifestyle writer with an obsession to simplify life and travel more. She writes about simple living, money, travel destinations, family-friendly activities, and more. Her work has been featured on the Associated Press wire, MSN.com, GoBankingRates, Wealth of Geeks, Savorteur, and more.
