There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep! ~ Homer, The Odyssey
We all get to sleep at night.
But not everyone can be as energized as others when they wake up.
What’s the difference?
Why do some people wake up beaming with energy…
While other people, even after 8-10 hours of sleep, didn’t feel like rested at all?
There are several scientific reasons why that’s the case…
But the root of all this is that people will feel more rested and energized in the morning…
If the quality of their sleep is great.
And when talking about sleep, quality isn’t equal to the duration. So it doesn’t mean that if you slept for 8-10 hours, you’ll have a great quality sleep.
So here I’ll be giving you 9 tips to increase the quality of your sleep.
1. Pitch black room at night, sunlight during the day
At night when you’re trying to sleep…
Your room should be as dark as possible. No lights from any sources, thick curtains, etc.
This may not be possible for everyone due to a lot of factors like living conditions, environment, etc.
But at least try to make the room as dark as possible.
At the same time, when you’re awake during the day…
Be sure to get enough sunlight. This will energize you and will calibrate your body rhythm. This way, your body will know when you should be awake, and when you should feel sleepy.
2.No coffee after lunch.
This can be easier than done for coffee lovers. But limit your coffee to 1-2 cups a day, ideally.
And no coffee after lunch.
This can make sleeping easier at night.
3. No naps after 4pm, keep them less than 30 minutes
Don’t we just love taking naps if we have nothing else to do?
But taking long naps and taking them late in the afternoon can make it harder to sleep at night.
It will disrupt your body clock.
Keep your naps as short as 15-20 minutes. That will recharge you just enough to get through the day. And don’t take them after 4pm.
4. The only purpose of your bedroom is for sleeping, work and other matters should be done in other rooms.
Another great way to set the ‘tiredness’ mood is this.
Work and other ‘waking life’ agenda should be done outside the bedroom.
This will set your mind to associate the bedroom with sleep and tiredness at the end of the day.
This is also easier said than done due to lifestyle differences and other factors.
But it’s ideal if you can make this one of your family’s house rules.
5. No phones or electronic gadgets near you.
Add this one to your house rules too.
It’s very tempting to get on your phone and scroll the night away. But this will make it harder for you to sleep.
One reason is that your mind will keep on working…
Therefore making it harder to relax.
Another reason is because of the blue light which can disrupt your body clock.
6. No clocks can help too.
Clocks in the room, especially if you’re finding it hard to sleep…
It can add more anxiety…
And add more sleeplessness.
Without clocks in the room, you’re somehow removing a worry out of your mind.
Sleeplessness can be more worrying if you’re constantly thinking “What time is it?”
And if you don’t have an immediate answer to that, your mind will find it easy to let go of the question.
7. Do some exercises, in the morning
To add to the tiredness factor, you need exercise.
Exercise as you know…
Has many benefits aside from this.
But the main thing it can do to help you sleep better… Is to make your body tired.
But getting this done late in the night can also disrupt your sleeping pattern…
So it’s better to do it in the morning.
8. Follow your circadian rhythm
The ultimate tip to get the best sleep you can get is to follow what’s natural for you.
And that’s to follow your internal clock, body clock, or circadian rhythm.
Another bonus tip related to this one is:
Sleep and wake up at the same time each day. But how do you know what time to sleep and what time to wake up?
9. If you want to know your ideal sleeping and waking time…
If you can make it possible…
Sleep when you feel sleepy and wake up without any interventions like alarms. Take note of the times you slept, and you woke up.
A pattern will emerge, and once you follow your own circadian rhythm, you’ll be more energized.
