Chapter 7: How to Get More Quality Sleep
The sleep process and its benefits deserve a complete book. Sleep is one of the most important processes of the body that offers numerous advantages. Getting quality sleep is a habit you shouldn’t handle with levity. In this section, we will explore the benefits of getting restorative sleep and how you can improve your sleeping habit.
Benefits of Restorative Sleeps
Below are some of the perks that come with good sleeping habits:
Peak Energy Levels
Many processes are taking place in your body when you’re sleeping. For example, many repair and maintenance works occur in the body during the sleep period. Your body needs you to be inactive so that it can carry out its tasks without interference. You need to give it enough time to perform these functions. If not, you’ll wake up feeling jaded and tired. However, when you sleep on time, you’ll feel like your “battery” has been fully recharged.
Consequently, you’ll have enough energy to carry out your activities during the day.
Enhanced Performance
Peak energy levels are the bedrock of fantastic performances. When you didn’t sleep well, you’ll feel tired and stressed, which can impede your preparation and eventual performance. It gets worse and obvious when you’re involved in mentally challenging activities such as writing and data analysis. You might struggle to come up with creative ideas, which can be frustrating. Whenever you have a crucial interview or presentation, ensure you’re well-rested to give yourself the platform to perform at your best.
Feeling of Contentment
Unknown to many, your sleep habit can affect your psychological health. One of the reasons some people feel disgruntled during the day and feel like life isn’t worth it is because they didn’t sleep well. When you start your day on the wrong note due to poor sleeping habits, you’ll find it hard to get into the groove during the day. You’ll not perform as expected, and you can start feeling frustrated about your life. It can affect your reactions to others, further compounding your woes.
Quality Interpersonal Relationships
Failure to sleep well can make you wake up in the wrong mood. Meanwhile, when you are disgruntled, you’re not likely to give good responses to your friends and family. Indeed, some people are emotionally intelligent enough to control their feelings and relate well. Yet, some people find it difficult to say the right things when they feel exhausted.
Remember that negative responses can cause fracas that cannot be mended between you and your loved ones. So, it is in your best interest to have a restorative sleep so that you can “wake up on the right side of your bed”. If you notice that you are arguing more with friends and families, you need to relax more and improve your sleeping habit.
Enhancement of Immune System
The body has its own “soldiers” that protect it against germ invaders. These fighters are part of a system of the body called the immune system. When this system is at its peak powers, it is going to be very difficult for any disease to attack your body. However, once it is weak, your body becomes susceptible to infections.
So, whatever boosts this system will help you to keep the doctor away. Thankfully, scientists have discovered that a good sleeping habit is an immune booster. This discovery was made by investigators of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. In fact, the researcher claims that quality sleep makes vaccines more effective.
Quality Professional Relationships
Due to your calmness, emotional intelligence, and optimum performance at work, because you’re sleeping well, you will enhance your professional relationships. You’ll find it easier to get along well with both your employers and your colleagues when you’re well-rested.
You can improve the quality of your sleep by leveraging the following tips.
Have a Regular Bedtime and Wake-up Time
Your body has a way of adjusting to your habits to increase efficiency and save energy. If you don’t have a specific sleep and wake up-time, your body’s circadian rhythm will be disrupted, and this will affect you. This is one of the reasons you’ll notice that you slept but woke up feeling tired. Set specific times and let your body get into the groove. It might take a week or two, but once your body gets used to it, you’ll feel more energized after sleeping.
Avoid Using Bright Lights in your Room
When you’re exposed to the sunshine in the morning, your body soaks it up, and you’ll feel rejuvenated. The boost in energy enables you to complete tasks faster and more effectively. When the sun sets, you should avoid bright lights because your body will assume that it’s still daylight and want to stay alert and active. This exposure can prevent you from sleeping on time. So, it is in your best interest to ensure that your room is dark to lull your body to sleep on time.
Let your Bed only be for Sleeping
Many people have a practice of doing different activities when they are in bed at night, such as reading, watching TV, and pressing their phones. If you know that you’re not ready to sleep, don’t get into your bed. Your body might adjust to your refusal to sleep on the bed and start getting alert instead of sleeping. So, use other places for other activities at night. Once you jump on your bed, your body should know that it is time to sleep.
Avoid Napping during the Day
It’s natural that you feel tired and sleepy sometimes during the day. Nevertheless, you need to be careful with the way you do it so that you won’t set the wrong precedence for your body. Don’t take a nap unless you are sick because it will disrupt your sleep at night. If you must sleep, ensure that it’s up to fifteen to twenty minutes. Even if you have to do that, let it be in the late afternoon. Sleeping during the evenings will prevent you from sleeping on time at night.
Wind Down Late in the Day
Try as much as possible to avoid taking your stressors to bed with you. One of the easiest ways you can achieve this is by doing all your strenuous activities in the day. Wind down towards the end of the day to ease yourself to sleep. When you do strenuous tasks before you sleep, you’ll fall asleep out of exhaustion, which isn’t beneficial to your body. Such sleep can make you wake up with a headache. Instead, do lighter tasks so that you can slow down until you eventually sleep to feel refreshed when you wake up.
Have a Bedtime Routine
Your body craves routines that it can follow consistently. You can take advantage of this fact to teach your body how to sleep on time. Have things you do when you are about to sleep. For example, you can take a warm bath before bedtime or listen to your favorite song or playlist. Once your body gets used to the routine, it’ll start preparing to sleep once you initiate the ritual. Ensure that it is consistent to get the best results.