23 Sep Improve Your Sleep Hygiene For The Best Night Sleep Ever

Are you wide awake, tossing and turning and it’s only 3 am! Most likely, you are counting sheep or scrolling through the gram while the world around you is peacefully zoned out. Sounds familiar to you?

 

No worries, you’re not the only one, trust us. You’re in excellent company as there are a lot of people out there who have difficulties sleeping. The good news is that you can improve your night’s sleep by improving your sleep hygiene. We’ll show you how to maximise on your zzz’s, so you can tick that off your worry list.

 

What Is Sleep Hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is crucial to ensure your good night’s sleep. Not only does it help you sleep better, but it’s known to be a fantastic way to treat a wide range of sleeping problems, including insomnia. Sleep hygiene is the certain practices and habits you should follow to maintain a good sleeping pattern and prevent various sleeping disorders.

 

The right sleep hygiene will help provide a peaceful nights sleep, every night. And because of this, you have ensured a better mood, a positive mindset, and the motivation to continue moving forward rather than stay tired and groggy. As you continue following and adapting your healthy sleep hygiene, just like developing a yoga practice or new musical instrument, positive results will follow. #sleepislife

 

 

Change Your Sleep Schedule

Have you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why am I always sleepy all the time?” or “Why am I tired in the morning?” ? Then your sleep schedule needs to change. What is a sleep schedule anyway?

 

People sleep anytime they can – hello nap time! With your work or studies, or let’s be honest your social media addiction, interfering with sleeping patterns, not only will you have a difficult time sleeping from the erratic schedule, but the chances are that you won’t get enough of it as well. It doesn’t only affect your quality of sleep, but the amount of time it takes to fall asleep as well. 

 

The average time to fall asleep would usually be about 10 to 20 minutes. Perhaps it doesn’t take you that long after an exhausting day. If falling asleep takes longer, meaning it feels like you are awake forever. And not just the one-off, but every night, have a read through the below. We show you how you can make the shift from struggling to fall asleep to sleeping like a baby in no time.

 

Improve Your Environment

Making simple and small changes to your bedroom can make all the difference in falling asleep. 

 

Light: Exposure to light stimulates the body and mind, which has you feel awake and alert (the last thing you want when trying to go to sleep). Melatonin, a necessary hormone for sleeping, rises as darkness begins to fall, while the hormone levels lessen as the day comes. Invest in blinds or curtains to create a dark room for optimal sleep. After dinner, switch off all the ceiling lights in your house and use mod lighting like lamps, candles and salt lamps.

 

Temperature: Think of your bedroom as a cave. The cave should be cool, dark, and quiet so that you can rest well. Keep the temperature level between 15-20 degrees Celcius. Sounds cold, but our body temperature goes down when we sleep and begins to rise when we wake, therefore the cooler the room, the more comfortable your sleep will be.

 

Sound: If you live near a busy road or you’re generally a light sleeper, white noise has many positive effects. Nature sounds, with rain and thunder, can work for many, even the sound of a gentle fan humming or clock by your bed, can help. Spotify offers a white noise playlist, so all you need to do is press play and snooze off. 

 

Comfort: Invest in the right mattress for you. Flippable mattresses are great as they’ll last longer. Test out as many mattresses you like until you find your perfect fit. You’ll be rewarded with not only a blissful sleep but furthermore you will wake up feeling re-energised in the morning. A mattress that’s too firm or too soft will leave you waking up with back or neck pain.

 

Smell: A dusty or damp room means your sleep will be interrupted. A diffuser for your bedroom is an excellent option when using essential oils for relaxation. You’ll be surprised how much these oils can calm you down, especially after you’ve had a hectic day. Adding Lavender, Geranium or Jasmine essential oil in your diffuser 30 minutes before you go to bed will do wonders. You’ll drift off in no time. And your room will smell divine as well. 

 

Create a Routine

From reading a book, eating the right foods before bed, to turning on your diffuser before you brush your teeth. Creating a routine that you continuously go back to will create a sound sleep all night. Another blissful way to ease into a good night sleep is through gentle yoga or meditation. Have you given yin yoga a go yet? If not, you most definitely should; everyone needs a bit of yin yoga in their life, trust us. 

 

But what if you can’t shake the habit of scrolling through your phone, especially while lying in bed at night? Maybe it’s time for a digital detox. It will change your life and sleep for the better. 

 

 

Not only does sleep hygiene help with sleeping disorders, but it supports staying energised and active during the day. Bad night sleep – tired and sluggish all day. It’s a vicious cycle and the only way to break it is with good sleep hygiene. A good night’s sleep will support you in maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle. 

 

Are you interested in trying out a yin yoga class to feel the calming effect on your mind and body? Power Living offers yin classes almost every evening, head over and check out the timetable for your nearest studio.

 

Can’t make it to the studio or want to yoga in your PJ’s before rolling into bed? We’re probably biased, but this option sounds even more enjoyable for us. Head over to Power Living’s online yoga studio and choose one of the many meditations or yoga flows on offer. Roll out your mat an excellent deep nights sleep awaits.

 

We’ve selected one of our favourite slow flow’s for you, so all you need to do is put your PJ’s on and roll out your beloved yoga mat. Join Troy Abraham for a quick 20-minute smooth flow, and you’ll be ready for a blissful night’s sleep in no time.

 

Now have the best night sleep, yogis!

 

 

This article has been edited and re-published from A Sleep Wolf.