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There’s nothing quite like waking up in the morning refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. Unfortunately, far too many people tolerate those sluggish and lethargic mornings when the only way to get the brain working is with copious amounts of coffee. Sleep can be a very challenging thing to get right, and most people will have some form of a sleeping issue at some point in their lives. One of the best ways to address those lethargic mornings is to create a better nighttime routine that will make it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep, and help you to wake up the next day feeling like you really have had a good night of rest and recuperation. Here are the key areas to remember.
Step One: Decompress
Whether the day has been fairly standard, or it’s been particularly stressful, you need to give your brain time to decompress from your waking hours. Winding down at the end of the day is essential, or you’ll get into bed with your mind still racing. Set the alarm two hours before bedtime, and learn to wind down. Spend time by yourself or with your family. Consider reading a book to give your brain something to do that isn’t going over and over the events of the day.
Step Two: Ditch the Tech
Most people already know that you make it harder to sleep if you get into bed and then stare at your phone for an hour. Switching to night-mode doesn’t help as much as you think either. Social media is particularly bad for sleeping, largely due to blue light emissions that can prevent you from drifting off. The more that you can avoid using your phone, laptop, or tablet to scroll through your social feeds, the better you’ll sleep.
Step Three: Don’t go to Bed
Never go to bed until you’re ready to sleep. There are only two activities that you should be doing in your bed, and sleeping is one of them. The more time that you spend in bed reading or watching TV, the more that your body gets used to the bed as just another space. You need to train your body to understand that getting into bed means going to sleep. So, decompress from the day in another space in your home, and don’t get into bed more than 20-minutes before you need to be asleep.
Step Four: Staying Asleep
If your partner snores or you grind your teeth to the point where it disrupts your sleeping patterns, then you need to find ways to improve your ability to stay asleep. There are many ways to address potential sleep issues, but one of the most practical is to invest in a night guard. Not only can these improve your sleeping patterns, but they can also help reduce snoring, which is excellent news for those with partners that are heavy snorers.
Follow these tips, and your nighttime routine will flow more, and you will start to fall asleep more quickly. Your sleep will be deeper and more beneficial, and you will be far more likely to wake up the next day ready to face the world. Your mornings can easily become the high-energy part of your day that you’ve been missing out on.
