on Feb 13, 23

Improving Your Quality of Sleep

If you're having trouble sleeping, you're not alone. About 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders, and another 30 to 40 percent of adults experience occasional insomnia. Sleep disturbance can cause many health problems, including heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases; diabetes; high blood pressure; depression; and even cancer! In fact, just one night of poor sleep quality can affect your performance at work or school the next day. If you want to get better sleep and improve your overall health, here are some tips:

Stick to a Schedule

Sticking to a schedule is important for many reasons. It helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, leading to better sleep quality overall.

If you're like me, though, sticking to schedules can be difficult, especially when you're tired or stressed out. 

Set aside time each day for planning out what needs doing during the next week (or month). This keeps me from having too much packed into one day or week and helps me see what's coming up in advance so that I don't feel overwhelmed by it all at once!

Try to Go to Bed & Wake Up at the Same Time Each Day

The more regular your sleep schedule, the better you'll feel overall. An irregular sleep schedule can lead to problems like insomnia and fatigue, so it's important to stick with a routine that works for you! If possible, try not even allowing yourself an extra hour in bed on weekends: getting up early on Saturday morning will make Monday seem much less painful than if you had been sleeping late all weekend long (which is likely how it would feel).

Exercise Regularly

Exercise can help you sleep better and feel more refreshed when you wake up. It helps promote restful sleep by reducing stress, which is a major cause of insomnia. Regular exercise helps people fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and wake up feeling more rested than those who don't exercise regularly. Exercise has also been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety (two common causes of sleeplessness). 

Stop Caffeine Before 3 p.m.

Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it can increase your energy level and make you feel more alert. However, caffeine has also been shown to interfere with sleep. If you have trouble falling asleep at night and stay up later than usual because of it, then cutting back on caffeine may help improve the quality of your rest.

Caffeine takes time to leave your body, as much as 10 hours after consumption! That's why many people experience jitteriness and other side effects after drinking coffee or tea early in the morning before going off to work or school: Their bodies are still processing the caffeine from earlier in the day (or even last night).

If you're looking for ways to improve your sleep quality without giving up coffee altogether, try limiting yourself to one cup per day between 3 p.m.-6 p.m., when most people begin experiencing their circadian rhythms shifting toward bedtime anyway

Get Exposure to Natural Light  

Get exposure to natural light during the day and no light at night if possible (if you can't do this, get a blue-light blocking app for your phone and computer). If you work in an office with fluorescent lights or other types of artificial lighting, this is especially important. You can also use a special light filter called a "full spectrum" bulb that mimics natural daylight. Studies show that these types of bulbs help improve sleep quality by reducing stress hormones like cortisol, which has been linked to sleep issues.

We hope that this article has helped you to understand the importance of sleep, and how you can improve your own quality of it. It's not an easy task, but if we all work together, then maybe one day we'll all get the perfect night's rest!

 

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