blake
1. Go to Bed Earlier
Are you staying up so late that it is not possible to get the right amount of sleep? Seven or more hours of sleep per night is what most adults need, says the Mayo Clinic. If your bedtime is keeping you from getting enough sleep then the 1st step is to go to bed earlier.
2. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Start making habits that increase your chances for going to sleep fast and staying asleep. The CDC recommends you:
- Be consistent with your wake time and bedtime
- Keep your bedroom quite and dark
- Set the thermostat at a comfortable temperature
- Don’t have electronic devices like tablets and smartphones in your bedroom
- Turn the TV off
“If you stop screen time two hours before bedtime, you can rest your head and eyes before going to sleep,” Avena says. For that two hours try taking a hot bath or reading to relax.
3. Get Some Exercise
Getting more exercise through the day can help you sleep better at night. And exercising late in the day can improve deep sleep.
4. Watch Your Caffeine and Alcohol
Both of these can make your quality of sleep worse. Caffeine can stimulate your brain and if you consume it within six hours of bedtime it will make it harder to fall asleep, says the ​Journal of Sleep Medicine​. And even though alcohol may help you go to sleep more easily, it can cause sleep disruptions that make it difficult to sleep more deeply, the Cleveland Clinic says.
5. Try Melatonin
If lifestyle habits are not enough, talk to your doctor about starting melatonin supplementation. “The hormone melatonin is created by the brain before getting into the first part of sleep, but a melatonin supplement can give your brain extra help to get into deep sleep quicker and stay there longer,” Avena says. She says to take a supplement one or two hours before bed.
