Over the weekend, most Americans set their clocks an hour forward to mark the beginning of daylight saving time. Though the extra sunlight is a welcome change for people who struggle with the “winter blues,” it requires most of us to forfeit an hour of precious sleep. For the millions who are chronically sleep-deprived, this cost is one they can ill afford.
In honor of the 25th anniversary of Sleep Awareness Week, what steps can you take to improve your quality of life by getting better sleep?
1. Establish a Consistent Sleep Schedule
As with other beneficial habits like exercise, routine is essential. You can train yourself by going to bed and getting up at the same times every day, including on weekends, holidays, and vacations. Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep.
2. Turn Your Bedroom Into a Relaxation Zone
The room where you sleep should be a distraction-free haven. For a quality night’s rest, ensure it is dark, quiet, and cool. If outside noises or lights prevent you from falling or staying asleep, invest in a white noise machine and blackout curtains. You should also banish all tech from your bedroom – devices with screens emit a blue light that can disrupt your body’s natural circadian rhythm.
3. Limit Your Caffeine Intake
Though a single serving of caffeine can help with your daily energy and focus, drinking caffeine too late into the afternoon or evening can make you too alert or edgy to sleep at night. Set a caffeine cutoff time of 3 p.m. each day. If you find yourself craving a soda or a cup of tea or coffee after that time, ensure it’s decaf.
4. Create a Relaxing Bedtime Ritual
Do you tend to indulge in revenge bedtime procrastination by staying up later than you should to get a couple of extra hours to yourself? Make going to bed something you’ll look forward to by doing soothing activities such as journaling, meditating, doing gentle yoga stretches, taking a bath, practicing breathing exercises, or drinking a cup of herbal tea. All these things will help you unwind and set the stage for you to fall asleep more quickly.
5. Don’t Force Yourself
Sometimes, you can’t fall asleep quickly, despite how much you may want to. If you find yourself lying awake after half an hour in bed, get up and do something relaxing in low light until you start feeling sleepy. Is your insomnia a consistent struggle? Consider taking a low-dose melatonin supplement to naturally induce drowsiness.
6. Avoid Napping
No matter how drowsy you might get during that post-lunch slump, indulging in a lengthy midday siesta can confuse your body clock and make it harder for you to sleep when nighttime rolls around. While brief “power naps” lasting about 20 to 30 minutes are beneficial for helping you focus and manage stress, longer naps allow your brain to enter the deeper stages of the sleep cycle and could cause you to wake up groggy and disoriented.
Sleep Quality and Your Health
Sleep disorders and a lack of restful sleep can catch up to you, elevating your risk of developing chronic conditions like heart disease, depression, Type 2 diabetes, and dementia. In pursuit of better sleep, many people drink alcohol or take opioids or benzodiazepines before bedtime, not realizing that these substances can disrupt a healthy sleep cycle and cause a chemical dependency.
Recovering from addiction means unlearning old habits and starting new patterns, including resetting your sleep hygiene, creating healthier routines, and directly confronting problems instead of sweeping them under the rug. At Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers, our core treatment philosophy includes customizing a treatment plan for each client. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you break the cycle of substance abuse.
