9 Healthy Sleep Habits:
Practical Ways to Improve
Sleep and Health

How is your sleep hygiene? There are a lot of ways to improve the quality of your sleep. The most essential thing is to stick to these healthy sleep habits and make them a regular part of your life.

When you get enough sleep, your body can recover, build, and repair muscles during exercise and conserve energy. The body produces growth hormones that make us grow during adolescence and childhood. As we get older, explains Dr. W. Christopher Winter, those hormones help build lean muscles and repair them after a hard workout.

Some people think that you can only build muscles at the gym. This is partly true. When you're at the gym, you are tearing down muscle fibers. In order to repair them and get stronger, including time for rest and recovery is crucial.

Two hormones regulate hunger. One is ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, and the other is leptin, which does the opposite. If you are sleep-deprived, ghrelin increases and leptin decreases, which increases hunger. Lack of sleep interferes with hunger signals and also adds more hours during the day to eat or binge.

During his TED talk, sleep specialist Matthew Carter, Ph.D. from Williams College noted that "You're able to get more done on a good night's sleep, not less." A recent study of 1,000 adults tracked productivity, sleep quantity, and quality. The conclusion was that too long and too short sleep durations, sleepiness, insomnia, and snoring were all associated with decreased productivity. The study's recommendation was that sleep should be considered one of the critical elements of workplace health.

Sleep deprivation can also cause mood changes, which can cause trouble in interpersonal interactions. A change in mood can also result in unusual quietness and social withdrawal.

A study from 2018 concluded that sleep deprivation affects a person's energy, mood, risk-taking behavior, ability to pick up on social cues, concentration, and enthusiasm.

When someone has good quality sleep, they are less lonely and more social. Because of that, people who are able to get enough sleep are more able to engage in conversations with other people, more energetic in discussions, and less likely to become irritable.

You don't need to look far to learn how to get good sleep. These simple and easy methods will help get you on track.

Sleep and health go side by side. Foods for good sleep are fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, dairy, and whole grains. Foods to avoid before bed are high-sugar, high-carbohydrate. and heavily processed foods. These are all unhealthy options and aren't considered sleep-inducing foods. On the other hand, if you are looking for melatonin-rich foods, you can try walnuts, tart cherries, tomatoes, and flax seeds. Avoid taking stimulants before you sleep, such as caffeine, and also stay away from alcohol, because both interfere with normal circadian functioning.

It's a good idea to exercise in the morning or afternoon. Exercise can impact your sleep quality and also raise your body temperature a few degrees. Later in the day, your body temperature then drops back to its normal range, which can trigger feelings of drowsiness that help you go to sleep.

Train your body to understand that bed is only for sleeping. Avoid working or eating in bed because this might give your brain the signal that it's not a place for relaxation or sleep. Treat your bed as a special place for resting and relaxing. When you have this perspective, your body will know that once you are in bed, it means it's time to sleep.

When you're about to go to sleep, turn off notifications or turn off your phone completely. When your phone rings or you hear a sound, it can make your body feel more active making it harder to get to sleep quickly. Notifications that come in the middle of the night can also disrupt your sleep.

There are several things you can do to relax before sleeping. You can meditate, practice yoga, or do deep breathing exercises. If you're not sure how to start meditation, read this article. Drinking chamomile tea can also be very helpful. Because your body temperature also has an effect on sleepiness, a warm bath can also help. Some people read a book to help their mind relax after a long day.

Many people search for solutions for how to sleep properly. Creating bedtime rituals can be a great option and help you prepare for sleep. The rituals don't need to be complicated. You can choose something as simple as putting on your sleepwear, brushing your teeth, and washing your face. You can also add a bath, a walk around the neighborhood, drink a cup of tea, or meditate. Here are some other things to try: listen to music that helps soothe your mind or write down five things you are grateful for.

When considering how to sleep well, know that having a comfortable pillow and mattress makes a difference. When you have a good sleep posture, you can sleep soundly and avoid pain and stiffness the next day. The right mattress will also increase your comfort; support your neck, head, and shoulders; and decrease the probability of a bad sleeping position.

The ideal temperature for sleep is between 60°F (15.6°C) and 67°F (19.4°C). Light also dramatically affects your ability to sleep. Melatonin is the hormone that helps you feel sleepy, and it decreases with exposure to bright light. Paying attention to the sounds in your bedroom can also be helpful. Some sounds are distracting, while others are comforting and sleep-inducing.

It's important to have a consistent and regular sleep schedule. This helps you avoid drowsiness, mood swings, memory problems, headaches, and decreased cognitive skills. Listen to your internal body clock, and stick to it every day. This way, you'll be able to form a habit of going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day. If you want to learn more about how to go to sleep on time, read this article to find out more!

Some of these sleep recommendations might already be part of your routine, or maybe you had heard of some but hadn't yet put them into action. Whatever the case may be, it's never too late to make a change. You can start today! If you've tried these ways to improve your sleep and are still having difficulty, consult your doctor about addressing the problem.

1.https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/connection-between-sleep-and-overeating
2.https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/41/suppl_1/A74/4988225
3.https://thesleepdoctor.com/2017/10/09/how-to-pick-the-perfect-pillow/?cn-reloaded=1
4.https://getsom.com/blogs/sleep/the-importance-of-sticking-to-a-sleep-schedule