Getting truly restful sleep requires effort and consistency. With the bustling life we have right now, it’s sometimes hard to achieve an undisturbed snooze.
If you’re one of the many adults who find it challenging to get their best rest, creating a healthy bedtime routine and maintaining a conducive sleeping environment may help.
Adequate and quality sleep is as essential to your health as a healthy diet and regular exercise. More than completing your hours of sleep, making sure that your body reaches a truly restful state is another story. If you fail to sleep well, your body and mind may suffer the consequences.
Here are some things that you can do to improve the quality of your rest.
Essential Things to Add to Your Bedtime Routine
Set a Sleeping Schedule
The best way to help your body sleep better is to set a consistent sleeping schedule.
As a part of your circadian rhythm, your brain is conditioned to be in a restful state hours before your sleeping time. Support this natural process by letting your body and mind relax before your set bedtime. This means that you should not fight your natural body clock, even on weekends and holidays.
Your sleep schedule should span about 7 hours a day to help you wake up feeling revitalised.
Remove Any Distractions in Your Bedroom
As we mentioned earlier, our bodies are designed to reach a restful state before falling asleep. To support the natural processes happening in your body, you should avoid distractions that can stimulate your brain and make it harder to rest.
Some common distractions that keep you from sleeping soundly include gadgets that emit blue light, noise, too much light in your bedroom, and the tasks that you need to finish the next day. The blue light from your gadgets suppresses your brain’s melatonin production, which in turn keeps you awake at night.
While it’s tempting to finish another episode of your favourite TV series, scroll through your timeline for additional minutes, or finish your pending tasks at night, nothing can beat the enjoyment and productivity you'll experience if you prioritise your sleep.
Your Bedroom Temperature Also Matters
Like light, temperature also plays a huge role in ensuring the quality of your sleep. As your body rests, it gradually cools down until it reaches the right temperature for the stage of deep sleep.
If your bedroom temperature is too high, your body will struggle to relax. You may also end up sweating a lot, which can further the discomfort.
The simplest way to prevent this is to adjust the thermostat if you have an air conditioner. However, if you don’t have one, you may open the windows and let your fan blow fresh air into your bedroom. It’s also good to choose a cooling mattress and lightweight bed sheets so you won’t end up sweating on your bed.
Have Some Light Snack or Relaxing Tea
Our bodies are not designed to sleep and digest food at the same time. Sleeping with a heavy stomach can cause indigestion or acid reflux. Moreso, drinking too much can lead to multiple bathroom trips. On the other hand, sleeping with an empty stomach can also make it hard for your body to relax.
The solution? Take a light meal and a non-caffeinated tea to give you the right supply of nutrients and help your body relax. Some foods have high melatonin content to promote better sleep quality. These include milk, strawberries, nuts, and oats, which are also healthy snacks.
Try Listening to Relaxing Music
This can be different for many people, but many fall asleep faster when listening to relaxing music. Other types of audio can also help your brain reach a relaxing state. These include ambient sounds, white noise, or pink noise.
Read a Book
Reading a book is one of the most common and effective parts of a child’s bedtime routine. Incorporating this hobby into your routine as an adult can also help your mind relax, especially when you stray away from distracting gadgets and other stuff that causes you stress. However, when incorporating reading into your bedtime routine, carefully choose your genre. Don’t read suspense or a book that is full of drama, or you’ll end up binge-reading all night.
Create a Journal
Another hobby that can help your mind relax before bedtime is journaling. This stimulates your creativity while freeing your mind from thoughts that can affect your sleep. If you know that you’ll be busy the next day, jotting down your tasks can lessen your worries.
Taking some time to reflect on your day is also helpful to clear your mind before sleeping and facing another day when you wake up. Don’t forget to reflect on your day’s achievements since they can also boost your mood and help you gain confidence to greet the morning right.
Set Your Bedroom
Aside from improving your routine and mindset, some improvements in your bedroom can also elevate the quality of your sleep.
Starting off with your mattress, the right one should support your sleeping position to prevent you from waking up with aches and pains. When choosing a pillow, opt for one with the right firmness and loft to keep your head supported when you lie down.
Choose lightweight and breathable bedding accessories to prevent hot and sweaty nights.
After choosing the right items for your sleep, get ready to transform your bedroom into a sleep oasis. Before sleeping, make your room cool, dark, and quiet—just perfect to help your body relax when it’s already time to sleep.
Takeaway
Now that you know what you can do to sleep better, it’s time to put the tips above into practice.
If you’re ready to upgrade your bedroom oasis, take a look at our collection of premium mattresses in Singapore! Somnuz specialises in providing an excellent balance of sleep support and comfort with our high-quality pocketed spring mattresses.
If you’re curious to know how a Somnuz mattress feels, you may visit our experience centres or shop your mattress online from the convenience of your home.
DISCLAIMER: All the information, including the texts, images, and other materials on this website, are for educational purposes only. Although we strive to present accurate information to our readers, no material on the Somnuz website is a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified medical professional with regards to your health. NEVER disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read in this article.