Do you ever find yourself struggling to fall asleep at night? Or, maybe you are often finding yourself waking up in the middle of the night for apparently no reason at all. If this is the case, you might be dealing with temporary sleep problems due to stress, or it could be down to something a little more serious, like insomnia or a health condition. It’s a wise step to speak to your doctor about your sleep problems to rule out any underlying conditions that could be causing them. Many of us are busy juggling the pandemic, family, and work demands, making it all too easy to put off visiting your GP. In these situations, you may want to consider calling a house doctor. They can save you time and make sure your sleep issues aren’t caused by an underlying condition. If there doesn’t seem to be a reason as to why you’re experiencing sleep problems, it could simply be because of your current attitude towards sleep. In fact, there are several changes you can make that could make a big difference in your ability to sleep easily and your sleep quality.
Improving Your Sleeping Area
Do you treat your bedroom more like a dumping ground than a sacred sleeping space? If your bedroom is filled with clutter, you’ve been sleeping on the same mattress for years, and you haven’t gotten around to decorating the other half of the room for months, this could be why you’re struggling to get some shut-eye. The state of your bedroom can have a huge impact on how well you sleep, so spend some time decluttering, cleaning up, and redecorating in calming colors if you can.
Getting the Right Mattress and Bedding
Now you’re in the swing of improving your bedroom, consider the bed and bedding that you’re currently using to sleep on. If you wake up in the morning with aches and pains and don’t have any health conditions to put this down to, it could be because you’re sleeping on an old mattress or even the wrong pillows. Upgrading your mattress and pillows could be the best investment that you ever make. When looking for a new mattress, consider how you sleep as some are better for back sleepers than side sleepers, for example. If you’re a side sleeper, you’ll need a mattress and pillows that will support the natural curve of your spine, allowing you to wake up refreshed and with no pain.
Your Diet
Did you know that your diet can have a huge impact on how easily you fall asleep, and how well you sleep at night? By changing your mindset towards your food and sleep, you can start to see the results that you want. For example, if you drink a lot of caffeinated beverages late into the day, this could have an impact on how easy or difficult it is to fall asleep. Making some simple changes, like avoiding coffee and energy drinks after lunchtime and eating your dinner at least a few hours before bedtime can have a big impact on your ability to sleep and your sleep quality.
Your Routine
Getting into a good daily routine will make it easier for you to fall asleep and get good quality sleep at night. If you’re always waking up and falling asleep at different times, your body won’t know when to start winding down, and you will find it harder to fall asleep when you do go to bed. Sometimes, this can’t be helped (if you work shifts, for example), but if it is impacting your health, it might be worth having a chat with your employer to see if anything can be done to help you stay in a better routine, such as scheduling you on the same shifts where possible or giving you a few days off in between a schedule change to help your body adjust.
With some changes to your mindset and environment, you can help yourself sleep easier and better every night.
