Quality sleep is an essential component to health and overall wellbeing.
- Sleep helps your brain function properly. It enhances your learning and problem-solving skills, helps you pay attention, make decisions, and increases creativity.
- Sleep repairs cells, balances hormones, and assists in the healing and repair of heart and blood vessels.
- If you aren’t getting enough sleep you could have difficulty making decisions, problem solving, controlling your emotions and behavior, or coping with change.
- Sleep deficiency has been linked to a weakened immune system, depression and suicide.
- Over time, continued sleep deficiency increases risk of obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
The quality of tonight's sleep affects tomorrow's day.
If you are looking to improve your sleep health, check out the tips below – make one or two part of your evening routine and stick with it for a couple of weeks –to feel more rested.
1. Set a sleep schedule and stick with it
Wake up and go to bed at the same time every day or try to keep it within an hour of your normal time.
2. Include physical activity in your day
Even a short, 15-minute walk can improve your sleep!
3. Limit caffeine intake in the afternoon
A good rule of thumb is to avoid caffeine 8 hours before your bedtime.
3. Limit caffeine intake in the afternoon
- Have a warm cup of tea
- Enjoy a book
- Do a gratitude journal
- Listen to a relaxing podcast
- Wash your face
- Take a bath
5. Leave your phone in another room
...and use an actual clock or alarm clock on your nightstand. While you’re at it, keep your bedroom cool and dark.
6. Wind down with a guided meditation or sleep track
- Slumber - app that features guided meditation and bedtime stories
- Dream Sleep Meditation- By Andrew Johnson, relaxing and gentle suggestions to guide you into a deep sleep (view)
- Noisli - make a soundtrack of soothing sounds to help relax and drift to sleep (view)
Want to dive deeper into your sleep health?
Check out the National Sleep Foundation's 7-day sleep diary to analyze possible sleep issues by tracking bedtime routines, ease of falling asleep, caffeine/medication use and other factors that influence sleep.
