You will spend an estimated third of your life asleep—but not everyone has restful nights. A reported 43% of Americans say that they rarely, or never, feel they get enough sleep. More than half of those said they experienced problems like waking up in the middle of the night, waking too early, or still feeling tired after sleeping at night.
A good night’s sleep is essential to staying healthy and having a productive day. Here are a few tips for falling asleep soundly, and staying asleep until morning.
1. Keep a Schedule
Your body’s internal clock plays a big part in how easy it is for you to fall asleep. Going to bed and waking up at different times every day, or even just on the weekends, confuses your internal timing and makes it harder to sleep when you need to. Keeping a regular sleep schedule throughout the week maintains this clock, so you fall asleep faster and wake up more easily.
2. Power Down Electronics
Many people wind down with a little time on their computer or by watching some television after a long day, but this can actually make it harder to rest when you hit the hay later on.
The light from your TV, or even something small like a tablet or smartphone, can interfere with your body’s circadian rhythms—the mechanism that helps your brain regulate periods and sleepiness and wakefulness throughout the day.
Bright light signals that it’s time to wake up and be active, so too much time spent with an electronic screen makes your body not as ready for sleep as you want it to be.
3. Invest in Your Bedding
An expensive mattress and soft bedding can seem like a luxury, but it can help you get better rest. The average person spends a third of their life sleeping in bed—shouldn’t all that time be spent in comfort?
4. Cool Down
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to fall sleep in a hot room? When you sleep, your body experiences a natural dip in its internal temperature. But too many blankets or a thermostat cranked up too high can interfere with this process. Keep your bedroom a little cooler at night and wear loose, comfortable pajamas made of a breathable fabric, like cotton.
5. Eliminate Noise
Everyone has that one friend who can sleep through anything—but most people need a little quiet. Even when you’re not conscious, your brain is still registering the sounds around you, and too much noise can interrupt your sleep.
Ask your family to keep it down if they’re still awake when you turn in at the end of the night. If the noise is out of your control, consider using a white-noise machine or a CD of ambient sounds to help drown the racket out with something soothing.
Having trouble getting a good night’s sleep? Download Abide for Christian sleep meditations that use calming techniques and Scripture verses framed in calming stories to lull you into a peaceful slumber.
