6 Tips to Sleep Better

Todd Heslin
2016-11-25T15:15:00+11:00

Far too many people find themselves unable to sleep at night. They spend their night rolling around and trying to fall asleep rather than enjoying a great dream. This leaves millions of people without the energy they need to make it through the day. They end up stressed and their performance, both at home and work, drops. The following six tips to sleep better will ensure you get the rest you need.

Room Temperature

It’s best to keep the temperature in your room below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. One of the biggest factors in being unable to sleep at night is an overheated room. Scientific studies have shown us that the optimum temperature for relaxing (and thus sleeping) is around 70 degrees.

Reduce Caffeine Intake

Studies have also shown us that the body is unable to effectively metabolise caffeine, especially at night. Most people are unaware of just how long caffeine really stays in the body. Caffeine in the body means that you can’t sleep at night. The absolute latest you should have caffeine is 6:00PM.

Avoid Drinking Alcohol

While you may feel that alcohol helps you sleep it actually stops you from reaching a state of deep sleep. You need to sleep deeply so that your body can truly rest and recover. Any sleeping done after drinking is a light sleep that doesn’t leave you feeling particularly refreshed or energised.

Only Use Your Bed For Sleeping

Are you one of those people that enjoys watching TV in bed or even doing some work while in bed? If so then you’re going to find it more difficult to rest and relax on your bed and fall asleep at night. Avoid watching TV and never do work from your bed. To sleep properly your brain needs to slowly shut down and any distractions can stop that from happening and leave you with difficulty sleeping.

Stick to a Consistent Bedtime

You should be sleeping at around the same time every night and avoid changing your bedtime all the time. When you develop and stick to a schedule like this it makes it much easier for you to fall asleep as your brain shuts down at practically the same time each day. Sticking to a schedule makes it easier for your body to get into a routine of sleeping at a set time and helps you sleep at night.

Put the Alarm Clock Where You Can’t See

Finding yourself staring at the alarm clock until you fall asleep only makes you feel like you can’t fall asleep even though you know you really should. Worrying like this makes it even harder to fall asleep. It’s been shown that moving the alarm clock away and being unaware of how long you’ve really been trying to fall asleep can make it easier to get some healthy sleep.