Posted on Saturday, June 15th, 2024 at 9:02 pm
Are you tired of tossing and turning at night, unable to fall asleep? Do you wake up feeling groggy, unprepared to face the day ahead? Insufficient sleep can negatively impact your physical health, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life. But you don’t have to resign yourself to restless nights. By making some simple adjustments to your daily habits and routines, you can set yourself up for more restful, restorative sleep.
Start the Morning Right
Kickstart your morning with a refreshing cold shower or a brief plunge in cool water. While it might sound unpleasant initially, a short burst of cold provides an energizing jolt that signals your brain that it’s time to wake up and begin the day. This bracing ritual helps reinforce your natural circadian rhythm. If a frigid shower sounds too brutal, simply splashing cold water on your face or stepping outside for a few minutes on a chilly morning can provide similar benefits.
Get Your Reps and Steps In
Aim to schedule your workouts for earlier in the day, ideally completing any moderate to vigorous exercise before 4:00 p.m. Regular physical activity promotes healthy sleep, but exercising too late in the evening can keep your core body temperature elevated, making it more difficult to fall asleep at bedtime. If you must exercise later in the day, try using a cooldown technique like cryotherapy or a cold shower afterward to help lower your body temperature.
Wind Down with a Shower or Bath
Treat yourself to a soothing warm bath or shower in the 90 minutes to 2 hours before you plan to go to bed. The heat will help relax any tense muscles, and the subsequent cooling of your body as you dry off will induce drowsiness, easing you into a state of readiness for sleep. Add Epsom salts or calming essential oils like lavender to enhance relaxation and create a peaceful pre-sleep ritual.
Watch What You Eat
Pay attention to how your diet impacts your sleep by focusing on sleep-promoting foods, especially in the hours leading up to bedtime. Certain foods contain natural compounds that can help prime your body for sound sleep. As an evening treat, consider incorporating sleep superfoods like tart cherry juice, kiwis, malted milk, fatty fish, nuts, rice, or a light, carbohydrate-based snack.
Ease into Slumber
As bedtime approaches, practice a “power down hour” to prepare your mind for sleep. During the last 60-90 minutes of your evening, dim the lights or use lamps instead of harsh overhead lighting. The lowered lighting helps signal your brain that it’s time to wind down. Avoid screens during this period if you can, or use blue light-blocking glasses or install an app that minimizes the device’s output of stimulating blue light.
Finally, convert your bedroom into a dark, cool sleep sanctuary. Keep your bedroom completely dark overnight using blackout curtains, shades, or a comfortable sleep mask. Even small amounts of light filtering in can interfere with your body’s production of the sleep hormone melatonin and disturb your natural circadian rhythm. Ensure your bedroom temperature stays comfortable, ideally between 60-68°F for most people. Your body temperature must drop slightly to initiate and maintain deep, restful sleep.
Call in the Professionals
If you find you’re still struggling with persistent sleep issues or insomnia despite your best efforts, know that you don’t have to live with the exhaustion and frustration. The knowledgeable sleep specialists at Silent Night Therapy are ready and waiting to help. We will work with you to uncover any underlying causes of your sleep problems and create a customized treatment plan to dramatically improve the quantity and quality of your rest. Call 631-983-2463 today to discuss how we can support you on your journey to getting your sleep back on track. The restful, restorative nights you deserve are within reach—and we’re here to guide you every step of the way.