A healthy lifestyle is not just about exercise and diet. Sleep plays a vital role in leading a healthy life. Research indicates that poor sleep affects you in multiple ways. Your performance, brain function, and hormones are affected by lack of sleep.
You can gain weight and become more susceptible to diseases when you do not have sufficient hours of sleep every day. To sleep well and avoid the repercussions, you need to know how to relax and unwind. Here are 5 ways that help you relax and get a good night’s sleep every day.
1. Take a bath
One of the popular ways to unwind and relax after a busy day is to take a bath. As per studies, a bath improves your sleep quality and makes you fall asleep faster. Taking a bath 90 minutes before bedtime improves sleep quality. While a shower also helps, a bath is more effective in relaxing you.
If you don’t have a bathtub, have one installed in your bathroom. There are space-saving designs and varied models that can fit in small spaces easily. When choosing a new bath make sure you buy a high-quality product from reputed dealers like Letta London. You can save money and choose from the diverse styles and price ranges here.
2. Exercise daily
Regular exercise is another proven way that helps in improving your sleep in many ways.
- Reduces insomnia and the time you take to fall asleep
- Minimizes night wakefulness and anxiety.
- Increases sleep time
However, make sure you do not work out during nighttime before you sleep. Exercising during the night can affect your sleep pattern. Exercise stimulates your hormones and increases alertness. The stimulatory action can prevent you from having better sleep if you exercise at night.
3. Sunlight exposure
The circadian rhythm is a 24-hour cycle that is part of the internal clock of your body. It ensures your body carries out its vital functions properly. The sleep-wake cycle is an important circadian rhythm. It promotes restorative and regular sleep. If it is not proper, it causes sleep issues like insomnia.
Your body, hormones, and brain are influenced by the imbalance in the rhythm. You stay awake for longer periods. To counter the negative effects of an irregular circadian rhythm you can increase your exposure to sunlight.
The exposure improves your energy levels during the day and improves sleep duration and quality. If you cannot get daily sunlight, you can use artificial bright lights as a substitute.
4. Avoid caffeine at night
A majority of the global population love coffee. It tastes good and improves your energy, focus, and performance. The benefits are due to the nervous system stimulation that caffeine triggers.
But when you have caffeine in the evening its stimulating action prevents your body from relaxing. Avoid taking caffeine before you go to bed. It can worsen your sleep quality when taken nearer to your bedtime. Or, consider switching over to decaffeinated coffee if you cannot do without a cup of coffee in the evening.
5. Avoid alcohol
Consuming alcohol at night has a negative effect on your sleep. It increases snoring and affects your sleep pattern. If you have sleep apnea it worsens the symptoms. Alcohol also changes the production of melatonin in your body during the night. Melatonin is vital for maintaining the circadian rhythm.
Alcohol also reduced the level of human growth hormone. At night, the hormone is usually elevated and helps in keeping the circadian rhythm regular. It also serves many other important functions like growth and metabolism. So, avoiding alcohol before you sleep will ensure your sleep pattern remains undisturbed.
6. Take an early dinner
Having a late dinner or a late-night snack affects your sleep and the release of hormones like melatonin and growth hormone. To get a good night’s sleep, you should eat 4 hours before you sleep.
The early dinner allows the food you eat to be digested before you rest. The digestive system does not function when your body is at rest. So, there is a risk of indigestion, which can disrupt your sleep. A diet low in carbs also improves sleep. In short, avoid eating large meals at night as they disrupt your sleep.
Final thoughts
Many factors interfere with your sleep like stress, illnesses, and more. Hence quality sleep is an elusive thing for many individuals. While you cannot control the factors that disrupt your sleep, you can use the above tips to relax your body and mind. When you are relaxed, your sleep quality is enhanced and you will sleep better.
Remember that an occasional night without sleep is normal. It occurs in many people once in a while. But if you find you are unable to sleep regularly, using the above tips can help you fix the sleeping issue efficiently.