The sleep statistics for 2020 are alarming. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of Americans (35%), are getting the recommended number of sleep each night that is best for their age. For adults, seven to nine hours is recommended.
Falling asleep is part of the problem. It should only take you 15 to 20 minutes to fall asleep. If you find yourself falling asleep faster than that, you may be sleep-deprived. There is a lot of research out there proving lack of sleep leads to physical and mental health problems like obesity, depression, anxiety, memory, and concentration.
This doesn’t have to be true in your life, though.
There is something called “sleep hygiene”, creating routines and habits that have positive effects on the amount and quality of sleep you get.
Here are nine tips to help you reap the benefits of good sleep.
Go Natural
Using natural remedies like This Works Deep Sleep and Sleep Plus Pillow Sprays can help your sleep quality and help support the body’s natural nighttime repair process, which creates new skin cells, replaces aged cells, removes harmful toxins, and renews skin.
Clean Your Sheets Often
If you are like everyone else, you wear those jeans or shorts two or three times before you wash them. After that third time, you realize they need to be cleaned. You should feel the same way about your sheets.
Dirty sheets harbor dead skin cells, oils, germs, and bodily fluids, which collect on your comforter, pillows, pillowcases, and sheets, and contribute to allergies, eczema, acne on your face and back, and infections.
Regularly launder your sheets at least once a week.
Pillows Talk
The pillow is where you rest your head each night. It is one thing that can help prevent neck pain, sinus issues, stiffness, and yes, a good night’s sleep. Use pillow protectors and wash your pillows at least twice a year, if not more.
On top of that, pick the right pillow for your sleep needs. Today, there are pillow options. If you sleep on your side, back or stomach, they make pillows for that. If you prefer firm over soft, you can have it.
If you find the only pillows that help you get good rest are at the hotels you frequent, you can even buy those same pillows. Most hotels sell new versions of the mattresses and pillows you enjoy.
Dry Clean Your Comforter
Your comforter at least three times a year, and after every time you have visitors who stay over.
Stuffing your comforter into your limited space washing machine is just not good enough. If your comforter doesn’t have room to move, it can’t get cleaned. Plus, your machine is at risk of being damaged from being overloaded.
A professional dry cleaner like Prestige Cleaners can effectively clean your bedding to remove dirt, allergens, and germs to help you rest easier.
Know When to Quit
Caffeine and alcohol consumption can affect your nightly sleep schedule. Try to avoid these beverages during the week to achieve better sleep as caffeine consumed even six hours before bed can reduce the amount of sleep you get by more than one hour, according to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
Reduce Blue Light
The blue light is the glare emitted from the screens of your phones, tablets, and computers, which has been proven to disrupt sleep patterns throughout the night. Limit the amount of time you spend looking at this type of light before you go to bed so you can easily fall asleep, stay asleep, and feel rested when you wake up the next day.
Seek Sunlight
Morning is the perfect time to throw open the drapes and soak up the sun. Bright rays of sunshine provide vitamin D and can help you feel more refreshed when you wake.
If it’s dreary outside, or you have a weird work schedule that prevents you from getting outdoors as much as you would like, buy a sun lamp. For very little cost you can purchase a lamp that produces light as if it were coming directly from the sun.
Using a sun lamp for a couple of hours a day can greatly improve your sleep. You can even purchase an alarm clock that uses a sun lamp to wake you naturally rather than with the use of a loud buzzer.
Today is the perfect day to implement these tips and start getting the good night’s sleep you deserve.