What can I do to sleep better?

Average person can fall asleep between 10 to 20 minutes. If it takes longer to fall asleep, you may have some underlying issues. Getting enough sleep and sleeping at the right time are critical factors to healthier lifestyle. For example, sleeping lowers your blood pressure and resting early can keep your risk of developing serious heart related medical conditions down.

StudyTrusted Source involving 1,197 Japanese workers found that those who went to bed later were more likely to have depressive symptoms. Do note that sleep duration may have contributed to these symptoms, as the participants who went to bed later often got less sleep. Another study found that people who stated a preference for going to sleep later also had higher levels of repetitive negative thinking, such as dwelling on problems or bad experiences. This is why it’s critical to ensure you are able to fall asleep at the right time and stay asleep instead of getting up constantly throughout the night.

If you are not getting enough sleep, you may begin to experience minor symptoms like fatigue, irritability, mood changes, lack of focus, and reduced sex drive. If you are having more severe medical conditions, you are going to need professional help. It’s critical you try to fix the problems as soon as possible. Below are some common habits you can fix to help you sleep better.

  • Develop a routine until your habit is fixed. This may take a while, but you should stick with it until your body get used to it. This may involve getting up early even if you are tired, so that you are able to fall asleep better at the right time.
  • Avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed time and ensure you avoid spicy food, fatty food, alcohol, energizing food like too much protein, caffeine, and sugar as your dinner.
  • Avoid tobacco and any other stimulants to include entertainment on your phone and games
  • Create a relaxing environment (right temperature, no excessive noise, and quiet)
  • Avoid high-intensity workout 2 hours before sleeping (light exercises are okay)

If you are having sleep problems, it’s important to be keep track of numerous data like when you wake up and go to bed every day, how much sleep you get to include naps, description of your sleeping environment, activities and diet leading up to bedtime, any sleeping behaviors like snoring/gasping/limb-jerking which can indicate sleep apnea, and so on to identify what kind of quality sleep you are getting and what factors are affecting your sleep.