How To Improve Your Sleep And Perform Better

Maintaining a healthy sleeping pattern is crucial to your health. Not only does lack of sleep make you feel groggy, it can also affect your body from the inside out. Poor sleep can have negative effects on your hormones, physical performance, and brain activity, making everyday tasks a new struggle to overcome. With that, we are giving you important and helpful tips to improve your sleep so that you can make sure you can perform to your utmost ability throughout the day.

Get Some Sunlight

Your body works on a cycle called circadian rhythm, which in all determines how your body feels energetic and drowsy at certain times in the day. While a portion of your brain controls your circadian rhythm, outside factors like lightness and darkness can also impact it. For instance, when it’s dark at night, your eyes send a signal to your brain telling it that it’s time to feel tired. Then, your brain sends a signal to your body to release melatonin, which makes your body tired. With the opposite, sunlight, your body will feel more energized and alert. By making sure you get some sunlight each day, you will help keep your circadian rhythm healthy and not set it off balance. With that, we advise you to get some sunlight each day. Take a break outside, go for a walk, or eat your breakfast and lunch outside. All of these little tasks will help your body bask in the sunlight and keep your body awake and energized at the right time of day.

Work It Out

Regular exercise not only keeps your body in shape, but also helps you sleep better at night. In fact, the harder your work out, the more powerful your sleep benefits you. Since exercise speeds up your metabolism, raises your body temperature, and stimulates your hormones, it’s best to exercise during the day no later than three hours before your bedtime. Regular exercise improves the symptoms of insomnia and sleep apnea, and increases the amount of time you spend in the deep stages of sleep.

Consider Your Environment

Your bedroom should be your oasis and only used for a certain number of things. With that in mind, avoid doing extra stuff in the bed such as casually watching TV or working on your laptop. Then, make sure your bedroom is peaceful, cool, and dark. A peaceful bedtime routine sends a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down. To block out exterior noise, try using a sound machine or earplugs if needed. Keep your room a cool temperature since being too hot or cold can certainly disrupt your sleep. Lastly, invest in some blackout curtains or use a sleeping mask to block out any lights that may keep you up at night.

Wind Down

If you ever feel like your mind is racing and keeping you up at night, finding a ritual to wind down can help you release that stress and let you sleep soundly at night. Yoga and meditation are two great options to wind down before bed. There are some great bedtime yoga moves that help you stretch your body and release your daily stress. Plus, meditation with some deep breathing can do wonders to your mind and body. Those deep breaths will let oxygen in and out of your body, preparing it for a great night of sleep.

Avoid the Unnecessary Rests

It’s imperative to avoid any unnecessary rests throughout the day. While a quick cat nap can do wonders and rejuvenate you in the middle of the day, taking too long of a nap can make things worse! By taking a long nap, you can keep yourself up late at night, which will in turn make you tired and exhausted in the morning. Keep naps in the afternoon to no longer than 15 to 20 minutes to ensure you don’t mess up your sleep cycle. Plus, getting a little drowsy after dinner may be common, but don’t feed into the sleepiness just yet if it’s not close to your bedtime. Do something that stimulates your mind and body to make yourself less tired, such as cleaning or packing for the day ahead of you. Falling into the trap of going to bed way too early can risk your chances of getting a good night’s sleep and cause you to wake up in the middle of the night.