Get Better Sleep To Improve Your Health
Before I share some helpful tips to improve your sleep, have you considered how getting quality sleep might impact your health?
The benefit of getting quality sleep is an improvement in your perception of stress and mental clarity. We feel better and think clearer after a good night’s rest.
But, sleep is crucial for maintaining good physical health too.
We’ve all experienced a sleepless night or two. This is normal, to an extent.
However, unrelenting sleepless nights with difficulty falling or staying asleep leads to health problems.
Effects on health related to poor sleep accumulate over time. Not only feeling lousy the next day, but in ways that could affect our overall health in the future.
What happens when we sleep?
Your body performs vital processes during sleep including metabolic regulation to support our organ function and their essential processes. When sleep is disrupted, systems fail to work optimally.
Restful sleep is one of the most effective ways to improve your health. Yet, many people have difficulty sleeping.
Most experts agree that 7-8 hours is needed each night. You also need to ensure you're getting good quality sleep.
There are many benefits to getting good rest, including getting better health numbers! This is one of the best places to start when working on improving your health.
Keep reading for tips to improve your sleep. Then watch the video below for more ways sleep impacts your health.
8 suggestions to improve your sleep
- Go to bed early enough to get 8 hours of sleep. Be consistent too - same time to bed and to rise, even on the weekends.
- Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
- Don't eat large meals (especially after 7 pm) before bedtime. If you're hungry, eat a light, healthy snack.
- Reduce fluid intake before bedtime.
- Be physically active during the day (not the evening). This may help you fall asleep more easily at night.
- Find time to unwind between activities, preferably in nature.
- Make sure your bedroom is cool, quiet, and dark.
- Stop using electronic devices (TV, cell phone, computer) 30 minutes before bedtime. Remove them from the bedroom. Blue light interferes with your sleep cycle and may cause you to have poor quality sleep.
Bonus tips:
Stick to a regular sleep schedule.
Prioritize getting to bed by 10 PM and get out of bed by 6 AM every day, including weekends.
Avoid daytime sleeping. If you have to nap, make it short: 10-20 minutes just to refresh and not interfere with your sleep schedule.
Learn more about the importance of staying in synch with your circadian rhythm in the video below.
You’re not alone
If you’re having trouble getting enough sleep, you’re certainly not alone. It’s estimated that as many as 70 million Americans suffer with sleep problems!
Inadequate sleep can hinder your health and weight loss goals, so it’s definitely something to prioritize. In fact, it's one of the first recommendations in health improvement because so many conditions are affected by poor sleep.
Lack of sleep often causes worry and stress. Severe cases of sleep deprivation can lead to accidents, serious injury, and in some cases loss of life.
Make ‘getting more sleep’ a priority. Add in one or two changes to your routine.
You may see some changes right away, but be patient if your sleep quality doesn't immediately or dramatically improve. It can take 2-3 weeks for changes to take effect.
So, if after a day or two of trying something new, don’t give up. It may just take some time for your body to adjust.
Watch the video below:
Click to play
I hope these suggestions help you improve your sleep quality.
If you would like a copy of the information covered in the video, check out the offer below.
