Do you sometimes sleep eight hours only to feel tired instead, when you wake up? That is the sign that you might not be having the best quality of sleep. Sleep quality is essential because it keeps you energized during the day.
The question is, what is sleep quality? Knowing what is sleep quality helps you know what bad habits to break to achieve a better night’s sleep.
The good news is that there are affordable and practical ways to get better-quality sleep.
What Is Sleep Quality?
The quality of sleep is the perception of the individual’s sleep during the night. It is defined by the ability or inability to fall asleep while at the same time wake up and get back to sleep if woken during the night.
The quantity of sleep differs from the quality of sleep; the latter is determined by the National Sleep Foundation through such criteria as consistency, continuity, and efficiency among other factors. In other words, a good quality of sleep is when one is able to fall asleep fast and with ease and have little interruption while sleeping.
Why is Sleep Quality Important?
A good quality of sleep is essential as it supports the improved memory, better mood, increased disease resistance capability and facilitates healing. Lack of good quality of sleep leads to crankiness, tiredness and poor concentration. A good night’s sleep is needed to ensure that one has a good day the following day.
10 Natural Ways to Improve Your Sleep Quality
1. Keep a Regular Sleep-Wake Cycle
Having a regular sleep schedule can be beneficial as it helps the body sync up with the internal clock. Sleeping every night at the same time will help somebody fall asleep sooner.
Make a plan for when you will go to sleep at the same time every day of the week.
2. Soak Up Some Morning Sunlight
An easy way of trying to influence the sleep pattern is through getting morning sunlight. Exposure to sunlight is helpful as it helps the body with the regulation time it needs to be asleep.
Spend 15-30 minutes outside in the sun or even on the balcony as a way of waking yourself up during the day. If this is not possible, sit near the window and drink your morning coffee while gazing out.
3. Take it Easy Before Going to Bed
Relaxing before trying to sleep is an effective way of relaxing the physical body and preparing the mind for sleep.
Avoid thinking about your problems during your evening routine.
Instead use a good book, a warm bath, or soft music. Try to spend 30 to 60 minutes to prepare for sleeping.
4. Do Not Drink Caffeinated Beverages
Coffee, tea, mountain dew, your favorite energy drinks – these all can keep you awake at night. These are some of the worst offenders disrupting the sleep pattern.
Ditch the coffee cups and sodas at least 6 hours prior to bedtime, or even more if you are a particularly sensitive person.
5. Do Not Look at Screens 30 Minutes Prior to Sleep
Watching television, scrolling down social media, or going through your favorite video can be hard to sleep after.
Not only is the content of the shows exciting, keeping you awake, but the blue light from the screen tricks the brain into thinking it is still daylight. Do not look at the screens 30 – 60 minutes prior to going to bed.
If that is too difficult for you, you can use the night mode or dim the lights of the phone or computer instead of watching videos on a full screen.
6. Make Your Bedroom Comfortable for Sleeping
You want to have a sleep friendly atmosphere. Be sure to have all the tools at your disposal to aid you in sleep like curtains, masks, plugs, pillows, blankets, etc.
7. Get Some Exercise
Exercise allows you to reduce stress in many ways because stress lessens with the help of any physical activity like walking, exercising, dancing, weight lifting, etc. Exercise keeps you fit and stress-free.
Just start with a simple walk, otherwise do the workout in the day if evening exercise gets on your nerves.
8. Avoid Eating Hearty Meals and Drinking Alcohol
Having heavy meals at bedtime tends to make people uncomfortable or lead to heartburn.
They should be fed at least a few hours before you go to sleep. However, if feeling hungrier, you can snack on small healthy meals. Drinking alcohol has been known to promote even more tiredness the following day by interrupting the natural processes of sleeping.
Limit drinking alcohol especially at night to bed.
9. Keep Away From Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are destructive to sleep. Thinking about work or projects, studies for an important exam can hinder a good night’s sleep. There are a few easy stress relief techniques that one can try before bedtime.
Journaling, meditation, taking a hot bath or walking can help to relax and prepare the mind to sleep.
One can also write down his or her worries and tomorrow’s plans ahead of going to bed. This will mean starting to write a to-do list for the next day.
10. Avoid Taking Long Naps During the Day
A long afternoon nap can ruin night-time sleep.
A good aim is to have 20 minute naps during the day and keep them largely to the afternoon.
If it is difficult to fall asleep at the scheduled bedtime, then you can consider taking shorter or no naps during the day.
What Are Indicators of Sleep Quality Improvement?
Symptoms such as increased hours of sleep even during the day indicate that you are getting vast amounts of sleep over the night. The signs are easy to see. For instance, the fact that you can fall asleep very quickly, do not wake up in the middle of the night and wake up in the morning feeling fresh and energetic.
One of the best ways to monitor your changes and look for the abovementioned symptoms is keeping a sleep diary, which may be of great help in jotting down all the events in your life for this period of time as well as recording your caffeine intake and sleep duration (which makes it possible to check how rested you felt at waking).
When Should You Consult a Medical Professional?
It’s time to seek medical help if there are no home remedies in sight. If you feel exhausted throughout the day, this might be an indication that you aren’t getting near-enough sleep at night.
Snoring and choking during your sleep might also be a sign of sleep apnea, so it’s critical to mention those symptoms to a medical expert.
Conclusion
The first stage in achieving a healthy life is learning the difference between good and bad sleep quality. Although sleep duration is very important for health, changes in sleep environment, sleep patterns, and sleeping habits can be also necessary. Apply these ten simple tips to achieve better sleep quality and wake up feeling rested and refreshed.
