I love sleep. Who doesn’t? Sleep works all kinds of magic on your body like repairing cells, re-energizing, and it’s essential for mental sharpness. Unfortunately, many have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, a condition known as insomnia.To beat insomnia and get a good nights sleep every night, there are a few lifestyle changes you can make.
Firstly you can practice relaxation through methods such as meditation, breathing exercises, or any other way that works for you.
It’s also important to make sure to stay away from blue light before you go to bed. This means putting down the phone or computer (which emit blue light) at least an hour before bed as tempting as it is to read that “one last” Reddit post or watch “just one more YouTube video”. Blue light actually inhibits the sleep hormone melatonin, making it harder to go to sleep.
What you consume has a significant impact on sleep too. Most people probably know that caffeine keeps you awake, but not everyone knows that caffeine can stay in your system for up to eight hours, so keep that in mind if you do choose to have a cup of joe in the afternoon. Additionally, avoid booze before bedtime. While alcohol does sedate you, it doesn’t let you get into the restorative stages of sleep, which means you still feel tired in the morning.
If you are still suffering from insomnia after making these lifestyle changes, seek professional help from a doctor or do cognitive behavioral therapy to change the behaviors causing your poor sleep.
To find out how to set up your bedroom to optimize sleep, check out our post about it here.