Undoubtedly, many of us have experienced sleeping for hours but end up waking up still very tired and exhausted. We often think that quantity of sleep will usually cut it. We might be sleeping very late on weeknights or not getting enough sleep at all. But we try to make up for lost sleep on weekends.
Admittedly, quality of sleep might be hard to get. Especially when you live a hectic lifestyle. In fact, many people regularly get poor quality of sleep. But scientists have come up with ways to help optimize sleeping time.
Optimize your bedroom environment
Our bedroom can be the reason we’re not getting enough sleep. There are a lot of things that come into play like bedroom setup, temperature, noise, and air circulation. These all come together and affect the quality of your sleep.
Studies show that people who have bedrooms with minimal noise sleep better and end up healthier in the long run. The air in your bedroom also affects your sleep. Airborne allergens can cause sleep disorders, so it’s essential to keep your air ducts clean.
Set up and optimize your bedroom environment to help improve the quality of your sleep. Have air duct cleaning services in Minneapolis improve the quality of air in your room.
Increase bright light exposure in the day time
Our bodies have natural time clocks. This is known as the circadian rhythm. Every day, it tells your body when it’s time to go to sleep. But some things can affect the functions of your circadian rhythm, like exposure to dim light during daytime.
When we’re under dim light for the whole day, the circadian rhythm confuses it for night time. That’s why we feel sleepy under dim lighting. But if we increase bright light exposure in the day time, we help our circadian rhythm function more effectively. Hence, we get better sleep at night.
Take a relaxing bath
Studies show that taking a 90-minute hot bath before bed helps people get deep sleep. This is especially true for older people. But some would prefer not to take a shower a night. In that case, soaking your feet in warm water will also help you relax and sleep better.
Replace your mattress
Your mattress plays a huge role in the quality of sleep you’re getting. An experiment was conducted for 28 days, where scientists tested the effects of a new mattress. The results were insightful. A new, comfortable mattress helped reduce shoulder pain in 60% of the respondents, back stiffness was reduced by 59%, and 57% reported reduced back pain.
The recommended time to replace a mattress is 5-8 years. If yours has lasted more than that, and you noticed you’re not getting quality sleep, then maybe it’s time to replace your mattress.
Go to sleep at the same hours every day
For most, there’s no specific time of sleep. We usually just head to bed when we feel sleepy. But you might want to consider going to sleep at the same hours every day. This will help you set your body clock and improve the quality of your sleep. If you fix your body clock properly, you’ll naturally wake up without an alarm in the morning.
Getting quality sleep is important in maintaining our overall health and wellness. Poor sleep increases the risk of health problems and sicknesses. So make sure you’re not only getting the right quantity, but also the right quality of sleep.
