Decades of research strongly suggest that the role of good sleep is paramount for physical and mental health.
Mental health and sleep are intrinsically connected. Lack of proper rest may play a significant role in the development and maintenance of different mental health issues.
By fixing your sleeping habits and taking necessary precautions, you can keep your stresses and mental health concerns at bay.
Your daily routine, environment, nutrition, and habits can greatly affect your sleeping cycles and in turn your mental health.
This is why many people turn to supplements to help them get the correct number of nutrients into their system, as this helps them feel healthier overall.
Companies like vox nutrition (see here) provide white label supplements that are becoming increasingly more popular for those needing a boost in their day-to-day life.
How to Sleep Better in Your Home
Sleep on the right pillow
You may notice a drastic improvement in sleep quality when you find your perfect pillow.
Worn out, synthetic pillows may be preventing you from getting the rest you need and might even cause neck pains, and persistent headaches.
Sleeping on the right pillow can supply you with the ease and comfort that relaxes your body and keeps stress away.
If you wake up feeling groggy and restless, then it may be time to invest in a better pillow that keeps your body cool during the night and helps you sleep peacefully.
Body pillows can also improve quality of sleep, especially if you suffer from anxiety and restlessness.
By hugging a soft, U or J-shaped body pillow, you can channel your anxieties and worries out and feel comforted by its soft embrace.
Doing some research on the pillow types that suit you best can be incredibly helpful.
Increased comfort levels that allow you to relax and set your worries aside can significantly reduce anxiety and break its vicious cycle.
As such, make sure you do what you can to keep your home cool when night time comes around. This is the first thing to consider to help your room feel better.
Reduce Your Exposure to Light
If you find falling asleep challenging when you are scrolling through social media on your phone, it is because of melatonin.
Melatonin is the naturally occurring hormone that is affected by light exposure and helps to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm.
You feel sleepy at night because it is dark, and your brain produces more melatonin when it is dark. When it is light, you feel alert and active as there is less melatonin.
Modern aspects of life can significantly alter melatonin production in our bodies and interfere with the circadian rhythm.
This is most noticeable when we use our phones during the night and are unable to sleep due to the screen’s light exposure.
Before you know it, hours have gone by as you scroll through and still cannot feel tired.
To ensure better sleep cycles, it is recommended to avoid using smartphones or other smart screens at least thirty minutes before bed.
This allows sufficient melatonin production, signaling the body that it is time for rest.
Incorporate Exercise During the Day
There is no alternative to daily exercise. People who exercise during the day also sleep better at night and wake up feeling rejuvenated and well-rested.
They also feel less sleep during the day. Daily exercise is extremely effective against symptoms of insomnia, sleep apnea, and even depressive thoughts.
A steady workout routine increases the time you spend in the restorative stage of sleep, hence eliciting the feeling of activeness and vigor.
You do not need a professional gym workout session to reap the many sleep benefits of daily exercise. A simple ten-minute walk daily can positively impact your sleep cycle.
Patience is also vital as it may take several months before you experience deep sleep-promoting effects of exercise, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes.
Also, you may consider incorporating supplements or alternative hydration methods, such as NAD IV drips – adding these types of approaches into your exercise routine can significantly improve your sleep quality.
These additions can aid in better recovery and ensure that you wake up feeling more refreshed and energized after a restful night’s sleep.
Get Checked for Sleep Disorders
Sometimes, what keeps you awake at night is not something you can control—for example, sleep disorders. If you’re having breathing and snoring problems during sleep, you could be one of the tens of millions of people in the United States who have sleep apnea.
In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the muscles that hold the soft tissues in your throat temporarily relax during sleep, causing you to stop breathing for several seconds. This can occur multiple times during the course of your sleep.
When left untreated, OSA can lead to complications and even death. To treat this condition, doctors prescribe continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy using a CPAP machine with CPAP supplies (learn more here), such as masks, tubes, and nasal pillows.
The machine and supplies provide a steady supply of pressurized air down the user’s airway to keep the throat from collapsing and alleviate breathing problems. If you suspect you have sleep apnea, schedule an appointment with your doctor or a sleep specialist immediately.