Getting a good night’s sleep can be a challenge and finding the best position to sleep in can feel like a trial and error process.
Need some help catching some Zzz’s? Here are some tips for getting a good night’s sleep:
- Don’t eat a huge meal before bedtime: A big meal late at night can give you the jitters and make it hard to fall asleep. Eat early in the evening so your body has time to digest before you turn in.
- Don’t drink too much liquid after dinner: Drinking water or other drinks before bedtime can mean trips to the bathroom during the night and less sleep overall. Try drinking most liquids earlier in the day so you’re not up all night keeping hydrated.
- Keep your room cool: Setting your thermostat a few degrees lower than normal will help your body get ready for sleep mode and keep you from tossing and turning.
- Practice good posture all day long. Poor posture can cause tension in your muscles and make them more prone to pain and cramping, which may make sleeping uncomfortable or difficult.
- Stick to a schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This can help regulate your body’s clock and could help you fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.
- Get exposed to bright light in the morning. Exposure to light helps regulate your natural sleep cycles, so going outside for a walk or sitting near a window can help you fall asleep faster at night.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol. It’s well known that caffeine is a stimulant, but alcohol can also keep you up past your usual bedtime.
- Disconnect from technology. It’s tempting to watch a show or scroll through your phone before bed, but doing so makes it hard for your mind to shut down, which can make it harder to fall asleep once you’ve turned off the lights. Make an effort to put away electronics one hour before bedtime.
