1. How’s Your Mattress?
If you’re tossing and turning all night, odds are that you’re not going to feel great when it’s time to bounce out of bed in the morning. Old, worn-out, or uncomfortable mattresses can contribute both to sleeplessness and to morning stiffness/soreness. If you’re regularly feeling unrefreshed in the morning, there’s a chance that your mattress could be to blame.
How to tell if your mattress is due for replacement? A good rule of thumb is that you should get a new mattress every 7-10 years. However, if you’re waking up with aches and pains or if you can see or feel obvious damage to the mattress (such as dips or lumps), get a new one ASAP.
2. How’s Your Schedule?
It’s true that many of us are so-called “night owls”, but getting enough sleep is just as important for owls as it is for larks. Since most of us don’t have the luxury of sleeping as late as we’d like to in the morning, it’s important to manage our evening schedules appropriately.
This means not only getting to bed on time, but ensuring that we set up our evenings to avoid things like caffeine, bright lights, and stressful situations that can make sleep difficult (see the next tip.)
3. How’s Your Hygiene?
We’re not talking about whether you shower and brush your teeth, either. Sleep hygiene is a term for doing some things and avoiding others with the goal of promotion sleep. What are some simple tips? You can:
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Sleep in a cool, dark room.
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Try to go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every night, even on weekends.
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Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine before bed.
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Practice relaxing rituals in the evening to help your body prepare for sleep.
Getting better sleep doesn’t have to be complicated, but it is important. Don’t wait until fatigue has left you exhausted and burnt-out–start your sensible sleep plan tonight!
Sources:
How To Tell You Need A New Mattress – www.usa.philips.com
How To Get More Energy – www.health.com