We all know that getting enough sleep is an important part of staying healthy, but with busy schedules and an abundance of distractions, sometimes getting enough sleep isn’t as easy as it seems. Motivate Lake County wants to help you get your best sleep so that you can jump out of bed each morning without hitting the snooze button and go about your day being your absolute best self!
There are many different things that you can do to help improve your sleep health, but we’re sharing five of our favorites right here:
- Get some exercise during the day
Move your body! Physical activity is an important aspect in so many areas of health and wellness, and sleep health is just one of them. Exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous to help you sleep; things like walking, yoga, and riding a bike are effective ways to spend your energy and make sleep easier and better. However, make sure you have enough time between your activity and going to bed to allow yourself to settle down before trying to sleep. - Put down your electronic devices at least 30 minutes before trying to fall asleep
Did you know that the light from your phone, tablet or computer can suppress your body’s production of melatonin, which is a hormone that promotes sleep? And this isn’t the only reason to put the devices down before bed. Scrolling and playing on your devices keeps your brain active and makes it hard to wind down and settle in to sleep. So, put the phone down for a better night’s rest! - Have a bedtime routine
A routine gives your body cues to let it know that it’s time to start winding down and getting ready to sleep. Routines will look different for everyone, so find something that works best for you (and make sure it includes habit #2 of disconnecting from devices for at least 30 minutes). Your routine may include reading a book, meditating, enjoying a cup of caffeine-free tea, or whatever you like. Which brings us to our next habit… - Go to bed at the same time every night
We know we should try for 7 hours of sleep every night, so it’s important to make sure we set a “bedtime” that allows us to achieve that goal. Going to bed at the same time also reinforces the routine that helps cue our body to move in to rest mode. Sticking to this bedtime on the weekends as well helps reinforce the sleep-wake cycle, which means that when the alarm goes off, you’ll be less tempted to hit that snooze button. - Manage worries and wandering thoughts
Sometimes you’ve done everything right, but for whatever reason, your mind just can’t find rest. To keep our minds from spinning, it may be helpful to keep a notepad, journal, or note on your phone to jot down whatever is on your mind. This hopefully allows you to get it off your mind and address it the next day. You can also do things during the day to keep yourself organized (like a to-do list, writing down goals, etc.) to prevent these worries at night.
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