Research has shown that people who sleep 5 hours or less per day are bound to have shorter memories than their mates who get 8 hours of sleep. The dangers of engaging in poor sleeping habits as studies have proven, are heart disease, stroke, dementia, Type 2 diabetes, depression, etc.
However, you should be more interested in quality sleep rather than the quantity of sleep you get. More studies have shown us that how you feel during your waking hours often depends on how well you have slept.
The way to become adept at this is through conditioning. You will routinely get your body and brain accustomed to sleep by creating good sleeping habits and the idyllic surrounding that is conducive for quality sleep.
Here are four tips that will definitely help you to sleep better:
1. Use Separate Beds If Your Partner Snores, the Space Is Small, or Your Lifestyle Differs
Are you aware that lots of sleep distortions reported yearly are caused by spouses? This, if not taken care of might affect your physical and mental well-being, including your productivity at your workplace. Worse still, at an extreme it could even make you loathe your partner.
However, you have the option of separating your bedroom (or bed, in the case of a large room) from your partner's in case of conflicting bedtime schedules or lifestyle choices. Better still you can look out for any snoring treatment. Otherwise it may rub off on one person's health.
For example, in a relationship where a partner is an early bird who likes to sleep on time while the other partner is nocturnal in nature and they use same bedroom, the latter's life would affect the former's sleep.
In the case of snoring, earmuffs or white noise machines should come handy. If the space on the bed is too small you might also want to consider getting a bigger bed as this will greatly enhance your ability to sleep.
If the space is too small spouses' body will overheat and not everybody likes being warm in bed. Also in that circumstance, chances that when you or your partner toss and turn, you'd hit each other are high which will eventually rob both of you of deep sleep.
This means that it may be necessary to get a bigger bed which doesn't stop spouses from remaining cozy in each other's arms when they want to.
However, a new study has shown that 82 per cent of couples reported to have enjoyed their sleep actually shared a bed. So you might want to think twice before leaving your partner's bed. Medical practitioners have said snoring could be a result of some medical disorders. Perhaps, a doctor's diagnosis and your empathy is what your snoring partner needs. Analyze your situation and make the right decision.
2. Establish A Regular Bedtime And Sleep Routine
The logic to this is that our body is trained to follow routines and day-by-day procedures. What you keep doing is what the body gets accustomed to.
Hence, routines such as having a warm bath or listening to some soulful music whenever you intend to sleep every night are keys. Also, have a specified time you sleep every day. Eat light and easily-digested food before bed. Ensure your bedroom is dark and quiet. You might also want to consider getting a sleeping mask and a pair of earmuffs.
More so, psychologists have prescribed wearing a particular pajamas before bedtime. Your brain gets used to this and know its sleep time whenever you're in your custom dress.
3. Try Taking A Nap At Work
Yes, you read correctly. An accomplished scientist and author, Sara Mednick of the University of California has actually posited that if you "want to get some sleep and boost job performance by 34 percent then you should try taking a 26-minute nap."
Even while at work it should not be too difficult to find time for a 26-minute 'power' nap, especially when you consider the health benefits and productivity you'd have afterwards.
4. Get Plenty Of Exercise, and Reduce Night-Time Activities
Engage in 40-60 minutes of moderate exercise every day, if possible. Let your exercise be early in the day, not afternoon or evening. Many experts have suggested yoga to help relax the muscles and mind during bedtime.
Massages are also good for those who can afford massage parlors or maids. Meanwhile, technology has made available, automatic massage machines which require no 3rd party help to use.
When possible, schedule your most tedious tasks to hold early in the day and the less challenging activities later. This helps you unwind and relax at the end of your day in order to get a pleasant night sleep.
Therefore, next time you're tempted to put in overtime hours at work, remember also that health is wealth. Most importantly, you need to stay healthy by getting quality sleep so as to perform well at your job.