It’s estimated that most people will spend approximately ⅓ of their lives asleep. Unfortunately, others may sleep less due to distractions and environmental factors. Those who seem to take forever to fall asleep or who never seem to feel refreshed after waking up may want to consider changing some of their bedtime habits. Here are four easy-to-follow steps that will help improve the quality of your sleep to keep you happy and healthy.
Step 1: Paint Your Bedroom
The first step in improving the quality of your sleep is to make sure your bedroom is the right color. Cooler colors such as blues, greens, and lavenders are perfect color choices for bedrooms as they are viewed as calming colors and may actually help you feel more relaxed and serene. For optimum calming power, paint your room darker hues of these cool colors. Darker hues have a more pronounced calming effect than lighter hues which will certainly help make your bedroom more relaxing and sleep-worthy.
Step 2: Invest in a New Mattress
Do you wake up with a stiff neck or back pain in the morning? Is your mattress showing signs of wear and tear or sagging in the middle? Have you been sleeping on your mattress for five to seven years or longer? You probably need a new mattress. When you start waking up with aches and pains, your mattress could be to blame. Take the time to try out different mattress before buying one. A mattress is a big investment, but it will certainly help improve the quality of your sleep and consequently improve your health and life. If you sleep next to your partner, be sure to get a mattress that is comfortable for both of you.
Step 3: Put Away the Technology
More and more studies are being conducted on how the blue light from your smartphone or tablet affects your sleeping habits. The light that your mobile device gives off is considered to be enriched with short wavelengths, which means it has more blue light than natural light. This blue light has been shown to actually affect the levels of melatonin in our bodies and signals to our bodies that it’s time to wake up rather than time to sleep. Experts agree that you should refrain from using any blue light device at least two hours before bedtime.
Step 4: Create a Bedtime Routine
One of the easiest ways to tell your body it’s time for sleep is to get perform certain actions every night before you go to sleep. These can be as simple as brushing your teeth and washing your face to something a little more time-consuming such as taking a warm bath or shower. Even opening a window or turning on a fan can be part of your bedtime routine. Whatever you choose, be sure to stick with it and do it every night so your body will know that it’s time to go to sleep. This bedtime routine should be performed around the same time every night and you should wake up at the same time every morning to help keep your body in sync.
