In your quality of life, healthy sleep habits can make a big difference. Good sleep hygiene is often referred to as having healthy sleeping habits. Seek to regularly manage the following sleeping practices:
- Keep up with the same bedtime sleep schedule and wake up time, even on weekends. This helps regulate the clock of your body and may help you fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.
- Take five breaths. The nervous system can be calmed even by a few inhalations and exhales. Put a hand on your lower belly and feel it rising and falling as you breathe in for three counts, and then breathe out for three counts. Repeat five times this cycle.
- If you have trouble sleeping, avoid naps, especially in the afternoon. Power napping may help you get through the day, but if you find that you can't fall asleep at bedtime, eliminating even short catnaps may help.
- Exercise daily. Aerobic exercise is best, but even light exercise is better than no activity. Exercise at any time of day, but not at the expense of your sleep.
- Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows. Make sure your mattress is comfortable and supportive. The one you have been using for years may have exceeded its life expectancy – about 9 or 10 years for most good quality mattresses. Have comfortable pillows and make the room attractive and inviting for sleep but also free of allergens that might affect you and objects that might cause you to slip or fall if you have to get up during the night.
- Stop the evening's food, cigarettes and heavy meals. Sleep can be affected by drugs, cigarettes and caffeine. Eating large or spicy meals can cause indigestion irritation that can make sleeping difficult. Stop eating large meals for two or three hours before bedtime. If you're still hungry, try a light snack 45 minutes before bed.
- Set Your Bedroom Temperature. Your bedroom should be cool - between 70 and 80 degrees.It can be very hard to get a good night's sleep when it's too warm/cold. Our study found that bedroom temperature affected sleep quality more than external noise. Around 75℉ (24℃) seems to be a comfortable temperature for most people, although it depends on your preferences and habits.