How you can switch your sleeping habits around today!18 Nov

Struggling to get a good nights sleep? You’re not alone!

Sleep is vital for humans to survive through life; we need to sleep so our bodies can restore themselves and strengthen while we rest. Our mental and physical health makes it essential for us to sleep so that we can survive and be safe.

Despite needing sleep, sometimes our bodies can find it challenging to relax and recharge. Here are some things you can do to help your body relax and shut off for a few hours!

Schedule

Sticking to a plan can help your body’s inner clock regulate, this means you need to stick to a time that you sleep on both the weekdays and weekends. Messing this up can also mess up your sleep pattern, and could take a few days to get back to normal again.

Avoid

Try avoiding alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine and heavier meals in the evening. All of these can substantially disrupt your sleep as you try to absorb them.

Try avoiding naps as well, sleeping during the day can be right for you at times; however, sleeping in the day helps your body relax at that moment in time, and makes it harder to do so in the evening. This means it’s a lot harder to fall asleep later in the day!

Exercise

Exercising during the day, or going on long walks, can really help tire your body and muscles out. When sleeping, your body recharges and mends muscles you have stretched throughout the day and helps with sleep.

Bedroom

Adapting your bedroom to help you get the best sleep can make a big difference. Removing any distractions like white noise, lights, fans etc. can change the mood of the room and help your body relax.

As well as removing distractions, make sure that what you’re sleeping on is comfortable! If you’re sleeping on a mattress that you’ve had for years and pillows that have been there since you were born, they won’t be the most comfortable. It can be expensive buying bedding, but if it helps your physical and mental health, then it’ll be worth it.

Relax

Before going to sleep, relax your body. Remove yourself from bright lights from TVs, phones, tablets etc. and read a book. Wind yourself down, taking yourself away from excitable or stressful situations and activities that wouldn’t relax you.

If you’re still struggling with sleep, then talk to a professional or keep a sleep diary. Keeping a sleep diary will help you notice patterns and ways you could help change these, it would also be a great thing to take to a professional to show them your sleep patterns!

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