Not getting enough sleep over an extended period of time can lead to physical and mental problems. If you have been sleeping for less than 7 hours a night, and are feeling groggy and slow, here are 5 things you need to do to get some refreshing sleep.
Step 1. Develop a bedtime ritual.
Approximately an hour before going to bed start preparing your body for sleep. Choose something that will help you relax. A bath, a cup of (decaf) tea or a good book. Don’t drink alcohol before going to bed and don’t exercise two hours before bedtime.
A bedtime ritual will teach the brain to become familiar with sleep times and wake times. This will help create a healthy sleep schedule.
Step 2. Maintain a regular sleep schedule.
Once you’ve created your bedtime ritual and decided on the best times to go to bed and wake up, the next step is to maintain this routine. Try to go to sleep at the same time each night and do not press that snooze button in the morning. Although you can still make small adjustments to your sleep schedule, if, for example, you decide that it is easier for you to wake up 15 later than you had originally planned.
Step 3. Stop watching the clock.
When we have difficulty falling asleep we tend to check the time every couple of minutes and worry about not getting enough sleep. This doesn’t help to get a good rest. So hide you clock, put it in your drawer or under the bed. And don’t check it when you wake up in the middle of the night too. If the alarm is not going off, it doesn’t matter what time it is.
Step 4. Optimize your sleep environment.
We have three words for you: dark, quiet and cool. Only 3 things that your bedroom should be. Invest in some blackout blinds, turn on the A/C or
open the window, and put in a pair of ear plugs if it is too noisy.
Step 5. Unplug.
This should be obvious, but in this digital age, most of us browse social networking sites or watch TV right before going to bed. Using technology before bedtime doesn’t give our brains a chance to unwind, which means we have trouble falling asleep.
