As a busy high school senior, I cherish every ounce of sleep I can get. My night routine has become holy to me, something that I’ve learned to perfect. When I began to research the best practices for improved sleep, I was shocked to see that my sleep routine is far from perfect. Here are 5 tips to get better sleep:
- Your bed should be reserved solely for sleep. As a victim of doing late-night homework in my bed, doing work or other tasks in your bed trains your brain to be awake. This translates to you laying in bed at 12am, wondering why you’re not tired. It’s because your brain is stimulated and thinks it’s time for calculus homework!
- Aim to eat your last meal around two hours before going to bed. To ensure you get the best sleep and are able to fall asleep quickly, it is important that your body isn’t trying to digest food at the same time. If you have a snack before bedtime, eat something simple, like fruits or cheese. As you might have expected, avoid caffeine and other stimulants.
- Avoid blue light at least two hours before bed. Blue light reduces the production of certain hormones in your body, one main one being melatonin. If you didn’t know, melatonin is a hormone that our body naturally produces that makes us tired. Cell phones, computers, and TVs all emit blue light, so it is best to tuck your devices away. Try to stick with a book or light meditation before bed instead!
- Try to stick to a sleep schedule, with set times you go to sleep and wake up each day. This helps regulate your circadian rhythm (your internal clock!). This will also improve your sleep quality, as your body will naturally release melatonin at your bedtime.
- Don’t force it. Despite what you may believe, if you are trying to fall asleep for over twenty minutes, tossing and turning, get up and get out of your bed! Though it might seem counterintuitive to get up when you are trying to wind down, you don’t want to train your brain to associate your bed with being awake.