Tips On Getting a Better Night's Sleep - Rayless

Tips On Getting a Better Night’s Sleep

Tips On Getting a Better Night’s Sleep

March 5th, 2019

Sleeping well directly affects your mental and physical health and the quality of your day when you’re awake. If you happen to fall short of getting the rest you need, it can take a serious toll on how much energy you have for the day, as well as productivity, your emotional balance and can even have implications on your weight. But, there are some tips and solutions to keep in mind. Making simple but key changes to your daily routine and bedtime habits can have an important and profound impact on how well you sleep. This will leave you feeling mentally sharp, emotionally balanced, and full of energy all day long. Follow these tips for getting a better night’s sleep:

Tip 1: Control Your Exposure To Light

Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone controlled by light exposure that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. When you’re asleep, your brain secretes more melatonin  because it is dark. The melatonin makes you sleepy when it’s dark and less sleepy when it’s light. Many aspects of daily life can alter your body’s production of melatonin and shift your circadian rhythm.

How to influence your exposure to light during the day

Expose yourself to bright sunlight in the morning. The closer to the time you get up, the better. Have your coffee outside, for example, or eat breakfast by a sunny window. The light on your face will help you wake up.

Spend more time outside during daylight. Take your work breaks outside in sunlight, exercise outside, or walk your dog during the day instead of at night.

How to influence your exposure to light at night

Avoid bright screens within 1-2 hours of your bedtime. The blue light emitted by your phone, tablet, computer, or TV is especially disruptive. You can minimize the impact by using devices with smaller screens, turning the brightness down, or using light-altering software such as f.lux.

Wear a Sleep Mask. Sleep masks like the Rayless Sleep Mask help completely block out light. The Rayless sleep mask blocks light so you can sleep in total darkness.

 

How to influence your exposure to light at night

Put down bright screens like a phone or tablet one to two hours before bedtime – The blue light emitted by your iPhone, Android phone, tablet, computer, or TV is very disruptive to getting you sleepy. Minimize the impact of this by using devices with smaller screens, turning the brightness down, or using light-altering software.

Skip late night TV –  The light from a TV suppresses melatonin, which helps you get sleepy. In addition, many programs are stimulating rather than relaxing, making it harder to get to sleep. Instead, read a book.

When it’s time to sleep, make sure the room is dark – Use heavy curtains or the Rayless Sleep Mask to block light out. The Rayless Sleep Mask conforms to your face and blocks light out from around your eyes with no gaps. The comfortable materials help you sleep all night long and will help improve your sleep cycle.

Control the amount of light in your home – If you need some light to move around safely, install a dim nightlight in the hall or bathroom.

Tip 2: Exercise during the day

Research has found that those who exercise regularly during the day will sleep better at night. It makes sense, too. Regular exercise also improves any symptoms of insomnia and increases the amount of time you spend in deep, restorative stages of sleep.

  • The more aggressively you exercise, the more powerful the sleep benefits will be. But even light exercise during the day – such as walking for just 10 minutes a day – will improve sleep quality.

Tip 3: Consider what you eat and drink

What you do during the day plays a big role in how well you will sleep, especially in the hours before you go to sleep.

Limit caffeine and nicotine – You may be surprised that caffeine can cause sleep problems up to ten to twelve hours AFTER drinking it. The same goes for smoking, which is another stimulant. These can disrupt your sleep, so make sure to limit these close to bedtime, or even several hours before you try to sleep.

Avoid eating large meals before you go to sleep

Avoid drinking alcohol before sleeping – alcohol may help you relax, but it interferes with your sleep cycle.

Tip 4: Wind down before bedtime

If you find yourself unable to sleep or you’re waking up at night, then it may be because of stress, worry, and anger from your day.

  • If the stress of your daily work activities, family-time or school is keeping you awake, you may need help with stress management. Learning how to manage your time effectively will help you handle stress in a more productive way. This will help you be calmer, and sleep better.
  • The more overstimulated your brain becomes during the day, the harder it will be slow and calm down at night. During the day, we tend to overstress our brains by constantly interrupting tasks to check our phones, emails, or social media. Tip: try to put aside specific times for these things, and focus on one task at a time.

Tip 5: Improve Your Sleep Environment

A peaceful routine before you go to bed sends a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time to wind down and let go of the day’s stresses. Often times, even minor changes to your environment can make a big difference to your quality of sleep.

  • Keep your room dark – using a light blocking sleep mask is the best way to ensure all light stays out of your sight.
  • Keep your room cool – most people sleep better in a slightly cool room with good ventilation
  • Keep your room quiet – if you can avoid or eliminate noise from neighbors, or traffic, you will increase your chances of falling asleep.