How to Get Longer Night's Sleep
Who loves going through all day groggy and heavy-headed due to lack of sleep?! Obviously, no one! Sleep is very critical for our ability to think clearly and sustain attention. When we are fully rested, we tend to become more productive because we're better at handling our emotions and behaviors. It is more refreshing and gives us enough strength throughout the day. While without adequate sleep, we are more likely to experience bad moods, irritations, and our level of productivity declines. Not to mention its long-lasting health risks!
The quantity and quality of sleep are the keys to better nights and good days. Aside from tips for making your bedroom a sleep-inducing one, here are more ways to help you sleep better and way longer:
Develop a consistent sleep-wake time.
A sleep-wake time is a cue for your body and serves as a signal for when you should sleep and wake up. Just like any other routine you have, your body gets familiarized with it once repeatedly done. It is important that you know and stick with your preferred time every day because sometimes, a cheat day can go a long way! You can even set up multiple alarms when you have the habit of snoozing it or ask your mother to open up the curtains in the morning to let the sunlight pass through and help you wake up.
Avoid drinking caffeine and alcohol late in the day.
Coffee is a great way to kickstart the day, but drinking one at night is proven to delay the timing of your body's internal clock. No matter how tired your body is, coffee consumption hours before your regular bedtime will prevent you from sleeping most of the time. There's also evidence that alcohol disrupts the release of the sleep-inducing hormone called melatonin. As a result, alcohol, and coffee can not only give you a lack of sleep, but also a disturbed one, especially for those who vomit, making you feel unrested the following day.
If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, do something calming until you feel sleepy.
An average person takes about approximately 5 to 20 minutes to wind down. But with so many stressors and clouds in our minds when we start laying down, it might be as hard! So, get up and try to make something relaxing that will make you feel drowsy. This also helps not to confuse your mind between sleeping and wakefulness.
Follow a routine before sleep.
Having a routine that meets your bedtime needs make so much difference and also gives a signal to your mind. Whether it's a skincare routine, putting on your pajamas, lighting up candles, meditating, having a bubble bathtub, or journaling, these can drastically improve your sleep. Start by picking out small ideas and consistently build a routine that works best for you!
Although you can indeed recover from sleep debt, Sleep Foundation mentioned that it can take up to four days to recover from one hour of lost sleep and up to nine days to eliminate it. Remember that you can't cheat on your sleep and just simply get away with it. The cost of lack of sleep is detrimental to our overall health, and the misery of sleepless nights is worse than we can imagine!
