If you always seem to wake up feeling like you never got enough sleep, it could be a sign that your nighttime routine is all wrong. Feeling exhausted the next day, every day can have severe impacts on your professional performance, your overall health, and your mental wellbeing. Because of this, it’s vital that you look for a solution to ensure you get the comfortable and refreshing sleep you need to take each day with confidence.
A Consistent Bedtime
There is nothing more effective than going to bed at the same time every single night. However, this can be tricky for anyone who does shift work or often has to bring work home with them after leaving the office. But getting the same number of hours of sleep each night will give your body the time it needs to re-energize. It’s not enough to go to bed at midnight one night and then eight the other. Instead, find a regular time that will give you at least seven hours of sleep (depending on when you need to wake up), and stick to it.
Establish a Routine
You’ll find going to bed at the same time much easier if you establish a routine. This can involve things such as light exercise that doesn’t raise your heart rate too much, such as yoga, to giving yourself half an hour to read a chapter (or more) of your book. You can also include hygiene into this routine. Apply moisturizer to your skin, and if you straighten teeth at home, make sure to clean your retainer or invisible braces. Keeping consistent with this routine will train your body to recognize ‘bedtime’ and put you in the right frame of mind to sleep.
Put Your Phone Away
We are always on our phones. While they are convenient inventions, they can also severely affect our ability to get to sleep. One reason for this is the blue light emission, but you can also consider the need to scroll endlessly through social media. Make it a habit to put your phone away during your bedtime routine. If you use it as an alarm, stop doing so, and instead invest in a legitimate alarm clock to wake you up.
Create a Relaxing Atmosphere
From soft light to comfortable bedding and even scented candles or incense, there are plenty of ways for you to create a relaxing atmosphere that will help you get to sleep. You can replace your existing light bulbs witty softer ones, while also making the bedroom cool, but not cold to make it easier to get to sleep. Your bedroom should be a sanctuary of relaxation and a place only used for sleep and sex, rather than watching TV or even snacking, so make sure you change any habits that could impact your sleep quality.
Wake Up Refreshed
It can be tricky to break your current ineffective routine and start all over again, you’ll soon see that you feel more refreshed and, therefore, more energized each day. With this newfound positivity every morning, you will quickly experience vast improvements in your performance and happiness, which is what everybody deserves.
