Not Getting Enough Sleep? These 5 Tips May Help

Bharat Sharma

17/10/2018



The science is clear - sleep is medicine. Getting enough restful sleep each night has been associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality, improved cognitive function, and a reduced risk of obesity.

But if sleep is medicine, then many people aren’t taking their dosage as prescribed. Studies have proven that over the last fifty years, the average duration of sleep has decreased by nearly two hours a day.

Countless lifestyle factors may be responsible for this widespread decline in sleep. Endless notifications, constant deadlines, sedentary living are some of the main culprits.

Fortunately, there are many ways to optimize and maximize the quality of your sleep to ensure you’re getting the most out of every night’s rest.

Let’s look at some of the sleeping tips that you can use to improve your sleep quality to feel fresher and more energetic the next day.

Improve Your Sleep With Natural Remedies

While attempting to combat sleeplessness and insomnia, many people turn to pharmaceutical sleep aids like Ambien and benzodiazepines. Although these drugs can be effective at inducing sleep, the benefits are often accompanied by many undesirable side effects such as lethargy, confusion, and daytime fatigue.

However, many organic botanical supplements can be utilized to promote healthy, restful sleep with minimal downsides. Red Bali Kratom has been shown to promote relaxation.

Other plant-based remedies such as chamomile tea and valerian root make the transition from work to sleep easier by inducing relaxation and reducing everyday anxiety and stress.





Related: 7 stress relieving hobbies to help you unwind in life

Optimize The Sleep You Do Get

Sleep quantity is one thing - but what about sleep quality?

Every day, many people reluctantly rise from their beds, only to wonder why they feel as if they haven’t slept at all.

While morning disorientation can often be attributed to sleep inertia, a persistent sense of daytime fatigue isn’t normal. In fact, feeling tired after a seemingly sufficient amount of sleep could be an indicator that your sleep quality is lower than it should be.

The Culprits of Low-Quality Sleep

To encourage restful, rejuvenating sleep, try addressing the following:

Reduce exposure to blue light: Phones, TVs, and other screens produce blue light that can affect our quality of sleep by suppressing melatonin production. To circumvent this issue, try reducing your screen time 1-2 hours before bed, or purchase blue-light blocking glasses.

Decrease nighttime light exposure: by turning off light sources or investing in a sleep mask.for better sleep quality.

Keep your sleep environment cool: to encourage sleep and reduce insomnia and restlessness.

Improve Sleep Quality With Exercise

Regular exercise has been associated with a slew of positive benefits, including increased longevity, improved mental health, and reduced risk of obesity. However, regular exercise has also been found to play a fundamental role in sleep quality by reducing the average time it takes to fall asleep.

In fact, exercise is so effective at promoting sleep that even insomniacs in controlled trials have reduced restlessness by participating in under an hour of daily aerobic exercise.

So, if you’re looking for another good reason to hit the gym or go for a run - have at it!

As science suggests, you’ll likely sleep better as a result. If you’re not into working out at the gym, you can also try practicing yoga as a healthy hobby to improve sleep quality.

Promote Relaxation and Rest Through Heat Exposure

You might associate the steamy heat of a hot shower with the start of your day. But, as research indicates, exposure to heat is a great way to promote relaxation and encourage sleep before bed.

According to Dr. Rhonda Patrick, taking a hot bath or sitting in a sauna or steam room for 20-30 minutes also stimulates the production of growth hormone, which is responsible for regeneration within the body.

Our bodies also produce growth hormone naturally during restful sleep - but if you’re not getting enough rest due to a busy work life, your natural production could be compromised.

A brief hot bath or sauna visit could serve as a way to kickstart your growth hormone production and make up for a sleep-related deficit.

Be Kind to Your Body



Your body is a temple, treat it with care.

There’s no magic remedy for a busy life - but skipping out on sleep is a sure-fire way to stall your body’s engine. If you’re short on time, focus on improving the quality of your sleep above quantity.

Sleep is your body’s way to rejuvenate and replenish the lost energy and by employing some of the tactics here, you’ll be able to recharge your body more effectively and tackle tomorrow’s workload with improved fervor and clarity!