Over and over again, research has documented why sleeping eight hours or more each night is important. Good sleep boosts your mental, physical, and emotional health, improves the quality of your life, reduces the risk of injury, and keeps your immune system strong and healthy.
There are several pieces on the internet advising how to sleep on time and wake up early. But how does one make sure they get at least eight hours of sleep each night? This post discusses some important tips you can apply right now to improve the quality of your sleep and guarantee that you get at least eight hours of sleep each night.
Maintain consistency
Go to sleep at the same time each night. This helps in boosting your consistency of going to bed at a fixed time each day and helps adjust your sleep cycle. This also sends signals to your body that you can get up at the same time each morning. Keep the consistency up even on the weekends.
Avoid naps
It might be tempting to take a nap after lunch, but naps not only reduce your productivity during the day, but also prevent you from falling asleep earlier at night.
If you’re trying to get good quality sleep for eight hours each night, avoid taking naps after 3 p.m. Even if you feel it’s of utmost importance to do so, don’t nap longer than 20 minutes.
Alcohol might be the issue
Coffee and alcohol — the so-called “necessities” of modern life are the biggest enemies of a good night’s sleep. It’s not easy to give up on alcohol, but with time and consistent effort, you can get rid of your alcohol addiction.
The same is true for coffee. Even if you feel like you absolutely need to have coffee, take all steps to stay away from caffeine and alcohol late in the day.
No smoking
Avoid nicotine completely. Studies have shown that smoking too much activates the chemicals in your body that keep you alert during the day and disrupt your sleeping patterns. It might be difficult to avoid smoking completely, but there are some steps you can take to stop smoking.
Get regular exercise
Make exercise a part of your daily routine. Studies have shown that working out for a fixed duration for at least 4 days a week can have incredible results in helping you maintain a consistent sleep schedule. But if you want to fall asleep on time, make sure you complete your workout at least 2–3 hours before your bedtime.
Don’t eat a heavy meal late in the day
Eating a heavy dinner two hours or lesser before bedtime can disrupt your sleeping pattern and prevent you from falling asleep on time. So, eat a light dinner and wait at least a few hours before going to bed. A light snack before bedtime is okay.
Miscellaneous tips
Here are some other miscellaneous tips to help you fall asleep quicky and get at least eight hours of sleep each night:
- Make your bedroom comfortable. It should be dark and quiet. The temperature should be maintained at optimum, and it shouldn’t be too warm or cold.
- Follow a night-time routine to help you relax before sleep. This could be journaling, writing your to-do list for the next day, and playing some relaxing music. Turn off your phone, computer, and other screens at least an hour before bedtime.
- Get a habit tracker and mark all days on it where you manage to sleep for eight hours each night. Soon, you’ll get addicted to seeing the streak going on. There’s something magical about having an unbroken streak. It can make you feel accomplished and motivated to keep working.
- Get an accountability partner. When you’re starting a new habit, it becomes much easier if you have someone to keep you accountable. This can be a friend with whom you’ve started the habit together or a certified coach who can help you identify your excuses and make sure you don’t give up on yourself. You can find yourself a certified coach from this directory of accountability coaches.