Do you really enjoy depending on coffee and sugary snacks to get you through the day? It may be time to pick some new habits that will encourage deeper sleep for energetic days full of happiness and energy. Check out what well-rested people are doing to improve their sleep and overall quality of life, according to The Huffington Post:
1. Don’t hit the snooze button: Although it’s tempting to get those extra 10 minutes of sleep for an instant win, in the long run you’ll feel more tired throughout the day. Don’t let disrupted sleep ruin your day, instead set your alarm clock for a later time to start the day.
2. Avoid filling up doughnuts for breakfast: Sugary pastries don’t adequately fuel your body to keep your energy up. You may feel energetic for a while, but after you’ll crash and feel exhausted. Opt for high-protein, low-sugar breakfast options such as oatmeal or egg and spinach muffins.
3. Good sleepers don’t drink coffee after lunch: Say no to coffee after 2 pm! While caffeine affects us all differently, research confirms that its effects linger in the body for hours after its consumption. Experts recommend avoid caffeine 6 hours before your bedtime.
4. Smoking makes it harder to drift off: This hard to quit habit has a huge impact on your snooze. Not only will it take you longer to fall asleep, you’ll experience poor sleep quality and have trouble staying asleep all due to the stimulant nicotine.
5. Chat with your co-workers throughout the day: This may seem unproductive but engaging in interesting, fun conversation along with work can cause a spike of energy, lower stress levels and make you feel happier, which decreases the chances of racing thoughts at night.
6. Put down that nightcap: Enjoying a few glasses of wine can make you feel sleepy, but it’ll set you back once you fall asleep. Science tells us that alcohol leads to poor sleep quality as it interrupts REM sleep and frequent nighttime awakenings.
7. Don’t watch Netflix in bed: As much as we love Kevin Spacey’s firing performance on House of Cards, all that excitement and blue light from electronics confuse the brain into thinking its daytime. Put away all your favorite digital devices at least one hour before bedtime.
8. Think happy, simple thoughts before dozing off: Counting sheep doesn’t sound like fun, but it’s the type of non-stimulating activity that helps us wind down. Try picturing your ideal relaxing vacation, a soothing waterfall or what makes you grateful.
9. Work out a few hours before bedtime: People who work out regularly tend to have a higher quality of sleep than their counterparts who don’t. But don’t work out too closely to bedtime or you could have trouble falling asleep, since your body is still active and alert from the recent exercise.
10. Avoid sleeping in too much on the weekends: This can throw off your body’s natural rhythm when switching from waking up at a certain time days in a row, followed by one or two days of uninterrupted sleep. Waking up at the same time, even on weekends, helps your body be ready for the early alarm going off on Monday.
11. Keep the pets out of bed: Cuddling with your fuzzy friend at night has pros and cons, but if you’re tossing and turning to adjust around your pet while sleeping it may be time for a Fido to sleep in his own bed.
12. Sleep in socks: Cold feet can lead to a restless night, while warm feet helps regulate your body temperature to make you fall asleep much faster.
Changing your daily habits can seem overwhelming, but we assure you that there is no substitute for high-quality sleep. What habits have you been practicing over the years for better snooze?
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