After years of being told that we must squeeze as much work and activity into our lives as possible, people are now finding out just how important sleep is.
Skipping it is no longer a source of pride, as we now know that it has a huge impact on our health and happiness. We can all benefit from a better night’s kip, so here are a few quick ways to improve yours tonight.
1. Layer Your Bedding
The weight and warmth of your bedding have a large impact on how easily you drift off. Heavier bedding tends to be better, but you don’t want to become so hot at night that it becomes stifling.
It is easier to strike the right balance by using layers than to try and find one top layer that is just right.
A double quilt and blanket combination should provide enough weight while keeping things cool and breathable.
2. Dim the Lights
Your body has an innate sense of timing that tells you when to go to sleep, and it’s much easier to drift off if you work with this rather than against it.
Yet many people end up fighting it without even knowing that’s what they’re doing.
How? By exposing themselves to harsh, bright lights in their bedroom.
These tell your body that it’s time to wake up, not sleep. Swap these out for some warm, gentle bulbs or candles instead.
3. Declutter Your Nightstand
Bright lights might not be the only things in your bedroom that are making it harder for you to get to sleep.
Clutter is known to raise our stress levels, and this is another counter-signal that you might inadvertently be sending to your body.
If you don’t have time to clean the whole room, at least keep your nightstand neat and tidy. Keep just a few essentials on it, like a lamp, book, and glass of water.
4. Embrace the Power of Scent
Scents act quickly to change our mood, and they are especially good at relaxing us. That’s why you’ll find incense or diffusers in any spa.
These don’t have to be strong, as even just a hint of a calming smell like jasmine or lavender can do the trick.
You can easily benefit from this in your bedroom by using an oil diffuser or putting a few drops of essential oil onto a cotton ball and placing it nearby.
5. Keep Things Cool
While you want to be warm when you’re under the covers, the ideal external temperature is very cool.
Around 18-20 Celsius is the right range to aim for. This helps your internal body temperature to drop, which is one of the biggest factors involved in getting you to sleep.
If you ever feel sleepy after a hot bath or shower, it’s because your temperature plummets when you get out. Cooling your bedroom can have the same effect.
Conclusion
In the long run, it’s good to have a consistent sleep-wake schedule, but this can be hard to establish and maintain in our busy modern lives.
However, simple hacks like these take only seconds to implement and can help you start improving your sleep straight away.
