Are You Getting A Healthy Night’s Sleep?

Can you say with certainty that you get a good night’s sleep seven nights a week?

For many people, the answer to that question is a resounding no.

When you don’t sleep well at night, it has myriad of effects on both your physical and mental health.

With that in mind, how can you sleep better at night, putting those daily mental worries aside, while giving your body the physical rest it needs?

Surroundings Make a Difference

In order to get the best night’s sleep possible, practice some of these simple tricks of the trade:

1. Surroundings – First and foremost, what kind of surroundings are you sleeping in? Do you have enough darkness or is there too much light peering in through your bedroom window or windows? Do you have to put up with noise while trying to sleep? It isn’t uncommon for individuals to have issues sleeping if they’re dealing with traffic noise, noisy neighbors, barking dogs etc. Do you keep the thermostat set at a comfortable temperature for sleeping? If the room temp is too warm or too cold, it can disrupt you from getting comfortable, leaving you tossing and turning for minutes and even hours at a time;
2. Bed, mattress and pillows – You’re going to have trouble getting to sleep at night or whenever your main sleeping hours are if you have an uncomfortable bed, mattress and/or pillows. So that you can put any of these problems to bed, make sure you have the right bed from day one. One concern you may have is that the right bed will cost you too much money. As a result, you sleep on something that is cheaper and less comfortable. If that’s the case, do you really expect to get the sound sleep your body requires? Look to apply for financing if necessary and truly get the bed you require. When it comes to the right mattress, whether you opt for soft or hard, make sure it is one that your body contours to, allowing you a peaceful day of rest. If the mattress is lumpy and/or sags in the middle, you can all but bet that your sleep will be disrupted. Finally, the right pillows can make or break your sleep patterns, so find the best ones for your head and neck.;
3. Food and drink – Most doctors will tell you that eating and/or drinking shortly before bed is a no-no. On the eating end, having a sizable amount of food in your stomach when you go to shut down for the evening is not conducive to receiving a good night’s sleep. Meantime, having a drink or two (especially those with alcohol or caffeine in them) will also disrupt your normal sleeping patterns. Avoid beer, wine, and soda several hours before bed. If you’re looking to stay hydrated, drink as much water as you want, though keep in mind that too much H2o will likely get you up out of bed one or more times during the night for a bathroom visit;
4. Mates – How many times have you heard of a wife or girlfriend complaining that her significant other snores or tosses and turns around in bed too often? While you’re likely not going to kick your mate to the living room couch, you can try different tricks including aides to lessen snoring, earplugs, putting pillows between you and your bed partner if they kick or rollover often during the night etc. In some more extreme cases for restless leg syndrome and similar issues, your mate might even opt to get up during the middle of the night and sleep on an air mattress or sleeping bag on the bedroom floor. Still another possibility is having two single beds in the same room and placing them close to one another;
5. Children – For those parents out there wishing they could pack a sound eight hours of sleep into their daily schedules, they oftentimes know otherwise. Many parents take turns during the night getting up to tend to their child or children, but for those single parents out there, it is all on them each and every night. In those cases, look to work in naps whenever possible during the day (especially when your little one or ones are sleeping). While naps don’t take the place of a full night’s sleep, they can prove both refreshing and beneficial to getting you through your busy days.

When you make the time and effort to get a good night’s sleep; your body and mind will be all the better for it.