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Throughout our lives, we tend to chase perfection. Whether it is at work or at home, we all possess that profound desire to obtain what is best for us. To achieve such results, it is essential to start from our barest needs, the most important one being sleep. It may sound surprising but a sleep of a high quality equals high performances during the day that take you towards your ultimate goals. The interesting thing is that it is possible to improve the quality of your sleep so that you can get the most out of your nights.
Optimize your sleep environment
The very first step would be improving where you sleep. Just like you need to adapt your office for your work, you need as well to adapt your bedroom for your sleep. In order to do so, you have to make sure you have the following parameters correctly set:
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Temperature
As odd as it may sound, there is a specific temperature required to have a good night of sleep. According to recent scientific research, your body rests best when the temperature of the room is set between 60 and 68 Fahrenheit, which corresponds to 16 and 20 degrees. So, you might want to make sure that your air conditioner is in good working condition. If not, consult an air conditioning company that can do repairs and maintenance works for your cooling system.
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Declutter Your Bedroom
Having a clean, airy room is essential for optimal sleep. You can start by dusting and sweeping the place. Place your dirty linen in a hamper and organize your clean clothes in the closet. If you have unwanted, old junk furniture lying around, you may want to remove it by calling a service that does junk removal for homes and businesses. Make use of natural room fresheners to make the room smell good.
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Good mattress and pillows
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What’s better than a large bouncy bed adorned with a dozen fluffy pillows? Not only does it make you feel like a king or a queen, but it also allows you to join Morphea’s arms faster than you would ever wish for. As always, I would suggest you go for something like a pocket coil mattress (that could be purchased from Queensway Mattress or similar companies), which may not only let you sleep in your favorite position but also give you the comfort you need to fully recharge for the next day. Don’t forget to take a look at our reviews and Pros & Cons of the 10 best Adjustable Beds.
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Reduce light
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This one may sound obvious, but you would be surprised at the number of people who sleep with some source of light on – and by source of light, I mean bedside lamps as well as the light emitted by laptop’s screens that have been left on on the desk or the bedroom’s table, or even worse, on the bed. Light stimulates the retina, which may disturb your sleep.
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Minimize noise
When you ask people about their past experience with sleeping in a tent in the mountains or in a remote place, away from the city, they would always reply that it was the best night they have ever had in their whole lives and that they slept less yet so much better than usual. That is because the more you reduce noise, the better you sleep. Make sure to always close your windows to block off late night traffic’s noise, and don’t hesitate to invest in earplugs. They are cheap yet extremely useful.
No caffeine consumption late in the day
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In one of our previous posts, we talked about the benefits of caffeine after pulling a succession of all-nighters. However, you have to keep in mind that there is a specific time limit to caffeine consumption if you wish for a full night of sleep, for you should at all costs avoid drinking coffee any later than that, or else you risk messing up your sleeping schedule. Caffeine gets flushed out of your body after an average of 6 hours after its consumption. Which means that one accidental cup of coffee drunk at 7pm will keep you awake until approximately 1am, which is already way too late for you to hope for the rest you were planning to get.
If you can’t help but get some caffeine into your blood late in the day, try to go with green tea instead. Green tea contains a lower percentage of caffeine, and it has overall positive benefits on your body.
Respect your body’s clock
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Sticking to a sleep schedule should always be your top priority if you are aiming for comfortable, revitalizing night. Your body’s clock is not like any other clock. As soon as it gets disturbed, it becomes difficult to set it back to the way it should be. You should thus make sure to always sleep and wake up at the same hours, even on weekends or holidays. If you have a hard time respecting your schedule, try to avoid the usual distractions that keep you away from going to bed. For instance, force yourself to turn off all of your devices two to three hours before the time you set for yourself to go to sleep, and try instead some more relaxing activities instead, such as reading or meditating, so that both of your body and mind get ready to shut down and rest.
Avoid naps
In a previous article, we talked about how napping might give you the energy you need to get on with your day. However, you must know that naps are your body’s clock’s biggest enemy. Napping tends to confuse your internal clock. That may end up in you not being able to fall asleep at night.
Try to not give into the urge to nap. It is preferable to go for caffeinated drinks to stay awake instead. But if you can’t help but taking some daytime naps, try to shorten them. That way, you will only get the rest you need for the rest of the day.
Keep in mind that these tips may vary from one person to another, since we are all different. It is up to you to find which temperature or which amount of caffeine will make you feel like you can achieve anything when you open your eyes in the morning!