We know more than ever how essential enough good-quality sleep is for long-term health. Sleep impacts the way your brain and body work. Getting the correct amounts of sleep is beneficial for hormone balance, cognitive function, and physical wellness. On the other hand, a lack of sleep can cause weight gain and increases the risk of many diseases.
Good sleep keeps you centered. When well-rested, you’re much more likely to process mental stress well. People generally eat and drink less and experience fewer mood swings. Getting more sleep is a fantastic way to ensure you’re always at your best.
Getting better sleep is much more than going to bed at a certain time. Yes, the hours you’re asleep matter, but the quality is just as essential. Here are six ways to start getting better sleep.
Nail Down Light Exposure
Your body and brain track sunlight to balance energy throughout the day. Ideally, you’re getting more energy output during daytime, and you run out of juice by night’s arrival.
Circadian rhythm is nature’s way of telling you and your body when to get some rest. However, too many people stay indoors in low-light environments that through the rhythm out of whack. As a result, they don’t feel tired when they want to get some sleep.
Start going outside more often to get some sunlight. It’s great for vitamin D levels and your mood. Sunlight also has a host of other health benefits. In addition, turn the lights up inside or open the blinds when you’re indoors during the day. Whenever possible, use natural light.
Help your body react appropriately to day and night to get better energy consistency and higher-quality sleep.
Exercise
Working out is a great option if you find you’re lying in bed and having difficulty falling asleep. People often report having high energy levels as a reason for sleep trouble. They lay in bed, and their minds race or they’re fidgety, so they give up and watch TV or work, which puts them deeper into the sleeping hole.
You must find a way to deplete your body’s energy, so you can fall asleep when needed. Otherwise, it’s much too hard to wind down for the evening.
Whether you go for a nice walk on a trail or hit the gym, exercising is a terrific way to use up whatever energy you have left. In addition, working out helps to clear your mind. Finally, you’ll hit the pillow eager to sleep because you feel so tired.
Try Lowering the Temperature
Is your room too hot? Higher temps usually make it harder to fall and stay asleep. People who sleep in colder environments tend to get better quality sleep.
If possible, turn down the thermostat or turn on the air conditioning unit in your bedroom and see how it affects your sleep quality. You should find that you fall asleep faster and feel more rested in the mornings.
People also praise the benefits of certain bedding products that cool the mattress. For example, you can buy appliances that attach to your bed and cycle cool water through tubes under your sheets, offering whole-body cooling at night.
Establish a Sleep Routine
Put down the phone and spend 30 minutes reading a book in bed before you sleep. Or, you can turn down the lights in the house and watch a show an hour before bed.
Whatever you do, try to make it a regular routine that signals to your body that it’s time to go to bed. Your body and mind will respond to prompts and daily habits. But, eventually, you’ll find yourself feeling tired just thinking about reading in bed.
It’s challenging when you don’t have nighttime routines because you’re going directly from normal activity to shut down. It takes time to fall asleep, so set the conditions to move the process along.
Invest in Good Bedding
How is your mattress? Do you have nice pillows?
Too often, we overlook the quality of bedding, instead focusing on the mental and physical aspects of sleep quality. Sometimes, a nice mattress is all it takes.
You’d be surprised at the difference some good pillows will make. Invest in your bedding with high-quality sheets, a mattress topper, a down or down-alternative blanket, etc.
Find the bedding that fits your preferences, and see if that can solve some of your sleep problems.
Peptides & Sleep Quality
Peptides are short chains of amino acids. They’re similar to proteins, only smaller. Peptides trigger certain biological responses in the body. For example, Sermorelin is a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog used clinically to assess growth hormone secretion.
In research done on animal models, exogenous administration of sermorelin boosted orexin secretion in the brain according to this page. In addition, there is evidence that suggests orexin regulates sleep cycles, as well as growth and healing.
Finding ways to get better sleep is relatively easy. Reflect on what you’re doing and what’s happening before bedtime. Start changing your diet, exercise, and bedtime routines to adjust and get better sleep at night. Minor adjustments can make a significant impact on your physical and mental health.
