No matter who you are, when it comes to deep sleep, you’re the same as every other human. That is, you need rest and not getting enough has a severe impact on your life. Despite the universal importance of sleep, 40% of Americans get far below the number of resting hours that is medically recommended.
If you have difficulty falling asleep or feel like the sleep you get isn’t effective, here are some effective deep sleep tips for you. We believe that using these tips will help you get to sleep faster, stay asleep longer, and as a result, make the hours you spend awake more fulfilling.
10 Tips to Get More Deep Sleep
1 • Stick to a Bedtime Schedule
How to get more deep sleep lies in knowing what time you need to go to bed and when you need to get up. While bedtime can vary from person to person, we recommend planning for at least eight hours of sleep. Interestingly, aligning your sleep schedule with night and day cycles helps preserve your circadian rhythm.
Along these same lines, if you’re a person that has trouble falling asleep after getting into bed, then, try going to bed 30 minutes or so before your bedtime.
2 • Only Sleep When You’re in Bed
The temptation to stream Netflix or check social media in bed is a common one. While seemingly harmless, bringing screen time into your bedroom can harm your brain’s training.
If every time you lay in bed, all you do is sleep, your brain will associate your mattress with getting slumber. If, when you lay in bed, your brain thinks it’s time to check emails, watch TV, and read, it is very difficult to force it to shut down when you need your rest.
3 • Don’t Eat Large Meals Before Bed
We often forget the amount of work our bodies do in the background every second of every day. Whether it’s our hearts pumping or our lungs breathing, even when you’re resting, your body is hard at work.
One of the most complex systems that run background tasks is your digestive system. However, if you eat a meal just before bed, your brain focuses on processing the food rather than letting you rest.
To prevent that, try to steer clear of meals within two hours of bedtime. If that’s not possible, keep meals light.
4 • Avoid Caffeine in the Evening
This is an obvious deep sleep deterrent. Caffeine keeps us up which is a good thing when we’re trying to push through a long day, but a bad thing when we’re trying to get rest.
If you want to make your sleep process as effective as possible, keep caffeine out of your system at least 6 hours before bed. Also, know which of your foods or drinks contain caffeine so you’re not accidentally slipping up.
5 • Try Exercising in the Evening
The more tired you are, the easier it will be to get sleep. Therein lies the value of getting a workout in, taking a shower and heading straight to bed.
In fact, you might find that your muscle exhaustion aids in signaling your brain that it’s time to shut down and start recovering.
6 • Invest in a Comfortable Mattress
A quality Saatva mattress, Tempur Pedic, Sleep Number, or similar mattress choice also has a big impact on your ability to sleep. There’s no perfect mattress for everyone. But, the best way to find out which one works for you is to head over to a mattress store and start sampling.
Once you’ve found a dream mattress, be sure to pick up a pillow that you enjoy as well.
7 • Take Care of Problems Before Bed
If you’re a person that has difficulty shutting down their mind around bedtime, you know how hard it can be to fall asleep. To reduce the amount of stress in the evening, manage as many of your tasks as possible before bedtime or earlier in the day.
Whether it’s preparing lunches for your kids or firing off an important email, ticking things off your to-do list will leave you with less to worry about at bedtime.
8 • Learn Meditation Strategies
Practicing mindfulness meditation techniques aids in calming your thoughts in bed. As a quick primer, mindfulness meditation is built around focusing on your breath over a period to train yourself to be mentally present.
This technique, over time, empowers practitioners to shut their brains off with more ease which creates faster and more rewarding slumbers.
9 • Avoid Naps
Taking long naps during the day will throw your sleep schedule off. Avoid that by forcing yourself to push through tired spells during the day.
If a nap can’t be avoided, keep it to 20 minutes.
10 • Talk to a Doctor
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get the sleep you’re hoping for. In these cases, your best bet may be talking to a doctor.
Your physician helps you identify underlying health conditions that may be preventing you from getting rest. They can also recommend a treatment plan that might get you back on track.
The Right Amount of Deep Sleep Changes Your Life
Learning how to get more deep sleep almost always leads to a person enjoying a more fulfilling life in their waking hours. We hope our tips have that effect on you!
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