An Essential Guide to Improving Sleep Naturally

Good sleep is incredibly important for our body. It helps us feel good and makes our body function properly. For some people, getting sleep isn’t really difficult. However, some others face severe difficulties in falling and staying asleep. Many factors can lead to the disruption of sleep. Such factors can be – Physical disturbances (for example, chronic pain from arthritis, headaches, fibromyalgia), medical issues (for example, sleep apnea), and psychiatric disorders (for example, depression and anxiety disorders). Other factors can be irregular sleep schedule, disturbed sleeping environment, excessive intake of alcohol or caffeine, consumption of drugs and many more. Poor sleep leads to increased stress and reduced quality of life, and poor emotional health, cognitive functioning and overall functioning. 

Sometimes poor sleep could also be due to some underlying stress or worries. It may be a good idea to take a mental health assessment to understand the reasons. At Samvedna Care we have an excellent self-help tool to track your sleep and wellness parameters. 

To improve your sleep, follow the below mentioned tips and tricks: 

Create the perfect sleeping environment 

Make sure that it is cool, quiet, and dark in your bedroom. When it is close to bedtime, avoid using electronic gadgets. For the perfect ambience, consider using earplugs, eye masks and black-out curtains. 

Focus on what and when you eat 

A balanced, healthy diet will definitely promote restful sleep, but timing is crucial. It can be helpful to have a light meal before going to bed. Some individuals advise drinking a warm glass of milk since it includes tryptophan, a natural sleep aid. 

Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol 

Some substances have stimulating effects and interfere with sleep. It is recommended to not consume any caffeine (found in coffee, tea, cola beverages, chocolate, and some drugs) or nicotine (found in cigarettes) at least 4-6 hours before bedtime.

Use your bed only for sleep

Try to just use your bed for sleeping so that your body learns to associate the bed with rest. If you use the bed as a place to watch TV, eat, read, work on your laptop, and other things, your body will not learn this connection.

Work on establishing a daily routine 

Going to bed and waking up at around the same time every day, even on weekends and holidays, is one of the best methods to train your body to sleep properly and will help your body maintain a rhythm. 

You can also develop your own rituals of things to remind your body that it is time to sleep, for example relaxing, stretching or breathing exercises before bedtime.  

Exercise regularly!

One of the best, most scientifically supported strategies to enhance your health and sleep is exercise. It has been used to reduce the symptoms of insomnia and can improve all elements of sleep. Even though regular exercise is crucial for achieving a restful night’s sleep, exercising too close to bedtime might disrupt sleep.

Manage worries

Try to put your worries or concerns to rest before going to bed. Your ideas should be written down and set away for the next day. Stress management might also help. You can opt for a Health self-assessment in order to understand your wellbeing.

Limit daytime naps

Long daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep. Avoid taking naps in the afternoon and keep naps to no longer than one hour. However, if you work evenings, you might need to take a nap in the afternoon before work to help make up for your lack of sleep.

Many factors can definitely interfere with a good night’s sleep, which can vary from work stress and family responsibilities to illnesses. It makes sense that getting good sleep can occasionally be challenging. A person might not be able to control all the factors that interfere with their sleep. But they can surely adopt the above mentioned simple habits, which will encourage better sleep. 

Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night. However, if you frequently have difficulties falling asleep, speak with your doctor and opt for mental health tests or online mental health counselling. You can acquire the rest you require by figuring out any underlying problems and fixing them. If, despite changing your lifestyle, you still struggle to fall or stay asleep. For any sleep-related illnesses, Samvedna Care offers expert-led online mental health counselling. Their expert counsellors and doctors can help you understand your problems and support you with your issues. Disturbed sleep could have many underlying causes in your physical or brain health, seek timely treatment to manage your well-being.