How to Improve Your Sleep Habits in 7 Easy Steps
A good night’s sleep is important if you want to live a healthy, productive life. It can also help lower your risk of getting gastrointestinal diseases. However, many of us have trouble getting the quality sleep we need to feel revitalized and prepared for the day ahead when we finally do wake up.
There are probably some adjustments you can make to your routine that will allow you to fall asleep more easily and stay asleep throughout the night if you have trouble sleeping. In fact, you might be ruining your sleep without even realizing it.
Here are 7 easy ways to get a good night’s sleep.
- Ergonomic sitting
Long-term sitting is bad for your health. If you spend a lot of time sitting, use good posture and get up often. Engaging your core muscles while sitting actively will help strengthen them over time. You’ll burn more calories than you would just sitting, and your posture and balance will improve, too. Get up and move every 30-40 min.
- Reduce screen time:
It’s estimated that the average American spends more than 10 hours per day in front of a screen. Ten hours! If you’re not at your desk, you’re probably on your phone, tablet, or social media while eating lunch.
All that screen time can harm your health and sleep. Blue light from our electronic devices blocks the body’s sleep hormone, melatonin. IF this is you, ask us about BLue Light support supplements. You can also combat blue light exposure by wearing computer glasses while you work or browse your phone.
- Physical exercise:
We recommend 15-20 minutes of moderate exercise every OTHER day. Reach your VT (ventilation threshold) where you are breathing as fast as you can. lt help you sleep better and stay alert and focused all day.
Stress and anxiety often keep people from sleeping, but regular exercise can help with both. Studies show that exercise helps adults with insomnia sleep faster, longer, and better overall. If you want to feel more rested, try yoga or jogging.
- Meditation:
Mindfulness meditation is another tried-and-true method for better sleep. Scientific studies indicate the correct meditation WILL help sleep. Meditation involves allowing your thoughts to flow free, observing your breath, and allowing your mind to wander.
Meditation much easier than you think. It involves NO effort. All day long you DO and WORK, meditation is the time when you do NOT. We have 3 educational videos about this to instruct all our patients.
- Write in a daily diary:
Mind-clearing exercises like writing down everything on your mind before bed can help even if you cannot meditate. The purpose of writing a daily diary is to literally “dump” whatever is bothering you so you can put it out of your mind.
Grab a pen and paper and write down everything that could keep you awake. Things like your to-do list, emails that you never sent, and even unpaid bills, etc.
- Limit or avoid alcohol consumption:
Even though that nightly glass of wine may make you feel sleepier in the moment, it’s likely to contribute to less restful sleep during the night.
Alcohol triggers a sleep-inducing chemical called adenosine making us drowsy after drinking. But this magic sleep chemical wears off almost as fast as it makes you sleepy, so you may wake up at 3 a.m. for no reason after a night of drinking.
Alcohol not only makes it hard to sleep but also keeps the body from reaching the deepest, most restorative stage of sleep, called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The fact that alcohol is a diuretic means that it may also prompt you to get up and use the restroom at odd hours.
- Reduce caffeine intake:
When it’s time for bed, you might still be energized from the coffee you drank earlier in the day. Caffeine has a half-life of 4 to 6 hours in humans, so depending on when you had your last cup, you may still have a significant amount of it in your system to metabolize. This may hinder a good night’s sleep as well.
SUMMARY. These small lifestyle changes don’t cost you a lot but reap great benefits for your health. A good sleeping habit does wonders for reducing your stress level and controlling many diseases. It better complements your gut health and alleviates symptoms like IBS and leaky gut.
If you want personalized medical help for dysbiosis, candida, leaky gut, IBS, and other related problems, you should contact the National Candida Center in Florida. We treat patients all over the world via internet. No need to come here. We were founded in 1994 and are one of the first holistic clinics and resources to follow a comprehensive program that includes diet, lifestyle, and natural supplements in the right order or phase to treat all parts of digestive health.
