How To Plan Your Sleep Cycles And Maintain Good Sleep Hygiene
Almost three-quarters of people don’t get enough sleep once per month, while more than 10 percent aren’t getting enough sleep every single night. This is an alarming statistic, and the Centers for Disease Control says that around one-third of people are struggling with sleep. A lot of this has to do with not practicing good sleep hygiene or getting into good sleep cycles. If you’re one of the many millions, try out some of these tips so that you’re well-rested when you wake up every day.
5. Divide Sleep Time By 90 Minutes
A good sleep cycle consists of four different stages. Those that only make it to stage one can end up being physically rested momentarily, but aren’t truly asleep. It isn’t really until stage three that your body starts to get into a deeper sleep, with the 70-90 minute window being where you get your best sleep when REM sleep occurs.
Because of this, experts suggest that you should wake up after an interval of 90 minutes. If you’re someone who can fall asleep right away, try to set your alarm for 7 hours and 30 minutes after your normal sleeping time. If you wake up at eight hours, you’ll likely still be in stage two of your sleep cycle, thus creating a bit of grogginess, but still better than waking up during stage one.
4. No Electronics in Bed
Because most of us are glued to our electronics throughout the day, it can be hard to set them aside when bedtime comes. After all, that’s when many of us are finally relaxing for the first time that day. You’ll likely feel the desire to watch television for a bit or browse through your phone before sleep, but that can throw you off tremendously.
Instead, don’t lie in bed unless you have the full intention of going to sleep and doing nothing else. Studies have shown that those who break away from electronics in their bedrooms fall asleep much faster and wake up less frequently during the night.
3. Exercise Helps
Exercise is something that people should be getting every day, but with today’s society, it can be tough to find enough time to get any in. In some rarer cases, there are people who have their sleep negatively impacted by exercise, as well. For most, though, simply getting enough exercise (especially in the evening) can help sleep tremendously.
That’s because after you exercise, your body’s core temperature increases. This results in alertness and a lot of energy, but it doesn’t last forever. Usually, within two hours of exercising at night, you’ll feel sleepiness as your body’s temperature starts to come back down. The result is the ability to sleep almost immediately.
2. Keep It Cool
There are some people that just refuse to turn on the air conditioner because running it can rack up a high energy bill. However, what you save in electricity costs you pay for with lack of sleep. That’s because science has shown that sleeping in a cooler room (between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit or 15-19 degrees Celsius) promotes deeper sleep.
The reason for this is that your body temperature will lower in a colder environment while also creating natural melatonin. Even though you may be comfortable in a 70-degree room, you can end up waking up hot and sweaty in the middle of the night due to your body temperature while you sleep, so keep things cooler.
1. Relax Before Relaxing
Too often, a lot of us go to bed with the stress of the day still lingering over our heads. You could be extremely tired but still not able to fall asleep because you’re thinking about something that made you frustrated or angry earlier that day. Do whatever you can to destress before you go to bed.
For a lot of people, this can mean exercise, while for others it’s reading a book or meditating. Whatever your best way to destress is, make sure that you’re doing it before bed every night.