Five tips to help you sleep better

It’s 3am you’re in bed turning and tossing and to make it worse, you have to wake up in a few hours.

Before you know it, the alarm clock goes off and you have gotten barely an hour of shut eye.

You drag yourself out of bed and can’t stop wondering what could be wrong with you. Are you stressed, or in pain, are you worried about something, or is there some exciting news that is keeping you up?

Well, the truth is a lot can keep you up at night.

As you get older you will realize that falling asleep faster gets much harder. There is so much you need to tick off your to-do list and something you didn’t do pops out of nowhere and there goes your sleep.

Failure to get enough rest will cause you to have trouble concentrating, you will be low on energy, moody and tired as you go through your day.

It is therefore crucial to get enough sleep and here is how you can get it:

The blue light emitted from your TV and phone stimulates your day time hormones thus disrupting your ability to fall asleep.

Finish whatever it is you need to do on your phone or computer then switch them off or leave them in a different room to prevent yourself from checking.

If you enjoy listening to some soothing songs or sounds to help you fall asleep then consider light blocking glasses or dim the screen’s brightness to a comfortable level where it won’t interfere with your sleep.

For many of us, the night comes alive especially on the weekends and we find ourselves staying up the whole night. These inconsistent sleep patterns which we are all guilty of could possibly interfere with your ability to sleep.

Going to bed at different times each night has a way of affecting your circadian rhythm which a primary function that determines whether or not your body is ready for sleep.

When these hormones are affected, it becomes hard for your body to induce sleep at night.

How conducive is your bedroom for sleep? It is important to keep your bedroom dark, quiet and cool. Determine the right temperature for your body and always maintain it at that.

If you find that light is disrupting your sleep you should consider blackout shades, heavier curtains or wear an eye mask to block out the light.

Noises can be a problem too if you are a light sleeper. Sound proof your room if you can, switch off gadgets that don’t need to run during the night or try out some rain sound in the background.

Tempted as you may be to sleep during the day, try your best not to. If you really can’t fight off the snooze, consider a power nap of no more than half an hour.

Extended sleep during the day has been found to interfere with the body’s circadian rhythm and has effects on sleep quality at night.

Avoid long naps and keep it short if you really have to recharge.

A big meal an hour before bedtime is likely to affect your ability to fall asleep. This is because your body needs at least two hours to digest a meal.

Failure to give your body time to work on meals can lead to flatulence, nausea and feelings of discomfort keeping you up at night.

Eat early so your body can have enough time to digest before you hit the sack.

While at it, you also want to have a healthy diet and incorporate certain foods to help you feel and rest better.