How to Get a Better Night's Sleep

Why a Better Night's Sleep is Important?

Better sleep plays a vital role in both mental and physical health. A night of good quality sleep makes one feel better during the day. The human body needs rest to function properly. Sleeping isn't merely shutting off the body; it's the hours when the brain stays busy in biological maintenance to function properly during the day so one can work at its best the day ahead.

Health Benefits of Better Night's Sleep

There are multifarious health benefits of sleep. The main benefits are as follows:

• Helps in Lowering Blood Pressure
• Gives Boosting Mood
• Helps in a sharper Brain
• Good for Heart Health
• Improves Immune System
• Helps in Controlling Weight
• Poor Sleep is Linked to Anxiety and Depression

What Are the Causes of Sleeplessness (Insomnia)?

Sometimes people don't get enough sleep when they are busy or sometimes there are some medical conditions behind it. Below is a list of conditions that can affect sleep.

• Stress, depression, anxiety
• Chronic illness
• A hot or a cold room
• Drinking caffeinated drinks before going to bed
• The sleeping bed isn't comfortable
• Some drugs
• Overtired
• Irregular sleeping schedule
• Eating dinner late at night

Insomnia Symptoms

• Waking up in the middle of the night
• Waking up too early
• Difficulty in sleeping
• Feeling tired during the day
• A problem in focusing and concentrating.
• Stress, anxiety, depression

Insomnia Side Effects

Long-term sleeplessness can develop serious maladies. Below is the list of some of them:

• High blood pressure
• Heart failure
• High blood sugar level
• Mental disorder
• Obesity

How to Get a Better Night's Sleep?

There are a few tips that can help one to get a good night's sleep. There are two types of insomnia: Primary and Secondary. In primary insomnia, there is no direct relation to the medical condition whereas, in secondary insomnia, health condition is linked. For secondary conditions, it's better to check with a doctor.

10 Tips for Better Sleep

1. Technology Use can Mess with Sleep

Technology has also a negative impact on lives when doesn't use properly. The human mind needs to relax for an hour before going to sleep. Exciting activities before going to bed alert the brain. Avoid watching television, laptop, tablets, or mobile phones in the hours before bedtime because these devices emit blue light that affects melatonin (a hormone that makes one sleepy).  

2. Relax in Hours Before Going to Bed

Do relaxing activities for hours before going to bed. Below are a few tips that help to relax before bed.

Taking a Warm Bath

Taking a warm bath makes the body relax and helps in a good slumber. A warm bath helps in lowering core body temperature. Lowering core body temperature by 3°-4° Fahrenheit initiates a better night's sleep.

Reading book

Do you know that reading is good for both mental and physical health? Yes! it is. Reading improves memory and thinking skills.  According to one study, reading a book just for 6 minutes before bedtime can reduce the stress level by up to 68%. A 30-minute reading is also good in lower blood pressure and it improves heart rate. It's a good relaxing activity to make the body and brain relax and helps in a better night's sleep.

3. Go to Bed When Tired

The human mind gives signals when the body needs sleep. Going to bed when not tired only makes a  stressful situation. A good way to get a better night's sleep is to go to bed when feeling sleepy.

4. Do Exercise Regularly

Do exercise regularly. Indolence can affect one's sleep. Even a few minutes of walking has a significant effect on both mental and physical health. It's advisable to do 20 minutes of exercise at least 5 days a week. Exercise helps lower blood pressure and reduce stress levels in the body. Physical activities like brisk walking, swimming, and cycling are forms of important exercises to do regularly.

5. Make a Sleeping Schedule

Give value to sleep and make time to sleep and wake up. This scheduling helps in making sleeping better. An irregular sleeping pattern only disturbs sleep and can wake one up late at night. 

6. Don't Drink Caffeinated Drinks and Alcohol at Night

Caffeinated drinks make the brain alert and cause a delay in sleeping. Some people are habitual in drinking caffeinated drinks so they may not be affected by it but apparently many people suffer from sleeplessness after taking caffeinated drinks. 

Alcohol affects the natural production of chemicals that trigger sleep. One may fall asleep after drinking alcohol quickly but can wake up in the middle of the night so avoid caffeinated drinks and alcohol in the evening.

7. Make the Sleeping Environment Comfortable

A cosy and comfortable bed helps one to sleep quickly. Make a moderate room temperature. A hot or cold room can affect sleep. Avoid bright lights as a dark and quiet bedroom at night feel cosier.

8. Reduce Stress

Anxiety/stress/depression is linked to insomnia. Sometimes sleeplessness is caused by these conditions and other times sleeplessness is a reason for developing these conditions. Reducing stress levels can significantly improve one's sleep. There are 7 Mental Health Tips That are Approved by Therapists that may help in lowering stress.

Both NHS or Private healthcare for employees covers Mental healthcare plans. It tends to cost around £150 -£400 for initial consultation or assessments. It may be covered by insurance or will be free of cost on NHS. Also, you can talk to a therapist online anonymously or choose betterhelp online counseling or a service of your choice.

9. Cedarwood Oil Neck Massage

Cedarwood is famous for its use in aromatherapy. The cedarwood essential oil mixture has sedative qualities and may improve primary insomnia. As it's an essential oil so mix it with a carrier oil to avoid any side effects. Mix 12 drops of cedarwood oil with 30 ml of carrier oil. A carrier oil can be coconut oil, olive oil or rapeseed oil, etc. Massage a few drops of this mixture on the back of the neck for a few seconds. Do it regularly. This method relaxes the brain and gives a better night's sleep. 

Another way of using Cedarwood oil is to pour a few drops of this oil into a warm bath before going to bed. This bath helps in lowering stress levels and relaxing the brain. 

10. Foods for Better Sleep

There are some foods that may improve sleep deprivation. These foods are generally packed with protein that is enriched in amino acids and helps in improving sleep quality. Below is the list of food for better sleep:

• Warm milk
• Kiwi
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Fatty fishes
• Watermelon
• Prunes
• Figs
• Dark chocolate
• Banana

Recommended Sleep Chart

The general sleeping time recommendation for adults is 7-9 hours per night, however, it may slightly vary from person to person. Children need more sleeping hours to develop properly. Sleep may decrease with age but still, many elderly people need 7 hours of sleep.

Sleeping just one hour less than the requirement can negatively affect mental and physical abilities in the long term. In today's fast-paced lives, it's common to sleep less than the recommended hours and there is a  concept that if someone fulfilling his/her daily responsibilities without hassle then sleeping fewer hours isn't affecting him/her. This concept isn't correct because this habit gives sleeping deprivation in the long term. According to the researchers, only a few people work at their best with 6 hours of sleep per night and 97% of us don't come into this category.

It's not just the hours of sleep that are important but also the quality of sleep. There are four sleeping stages (1,2,3 and REM). These stages work cyclically from 1 to REM and then begin again. Each stage lasts from 5-15 minutes. Deep sleep is the recovering mode of the mind and body. It gives the energy for the day ahead. It also lowers the blood sugar level. According to New Health Advisor, an average adult needs 1.5 to 1.8 hours of deep sleep per night to feel fresh in the morning.

There are so many benefits of sleeping but it should not be a reason for sleep anxiety. Go to bed for sleep when feeling tired and need rest. Resting on the bed in aim to get sleep without feeling sleepy might give sleep anxiety.

How to Sleep Instantly?

Breathing Method

The breathing method can help one to sleep fast. In this method, one needs to inhale for 4 seconds and then hold on to it for 7 seconds then exhale slowly for 8 seconds. Try to practice it with a relaxed mind without thinking. For sleeping instantly, you can practice falling asleep fast in 10,60 or 120 seconds.

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