8 New Year Sleep Resolutions Anyone Can Follow
New year, new beginnings. That’s what seems to be on our minds at the turn of every new year. Resolutions range from vowing to work out more to saving money and eating healthy. But, what about that most important of essentials – sleep? If we don’t get enough of it, sticking to the rest of our resolutions is a distant dream. This 2019, resolve to sleep better and you’ll find it a lot easier to meet your other goals. Good sleep helps us make sound decisions, manage emotions better, and provide enough energy to do the thousand and one things that need doing. Check out these 8 new year resolutions you need to make to enjoy blissful slumber.
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New Year Resolutions That Will Guarantee Better Sleep
1. Spend Time In The Sun
Reliance on gadgets forces people to spend more time indoors. While it may not seem like a big deal, staying away from sunlight can disrupt your circadian rhythm, which is a process that regulates your appetite and even your sleep schedule. If it doesn’t function correctly, you can find it tough to fall asleep and make wake up at odd hours. This rhythm is controlled by the hypothalamus that responds to light, which is why you feel awake in the day and sleepy at night. By exposing yourself to sunlight, you keep your circadian rhythm and your sleep-wake cycle functioning as it should.
2. Be More Active
Physical activity can improve the quality of your sleep so resolve to stay more active. Exercise releases ‘feel good’ hormones called endorphins that reduce stress and keep you calm. It also tires you out and helps you sleep. Try to work out in the morning or early afternoon to raise your body temperature. As the day passes, it will gradually drop and trigger sleepiness.
3. Eat Healthier
Eating healthy comes with plenty of benefits and one of them is being able to sleep better. Certain foods can increase levels of the sleep hormone melatonin in the blood. Meanwhile, some foods like spicy, calorie-ridden items can induce heartburn and other uncomfortable digestive conditions that can keep you up at night. Cutting them out of your diet can improve your sleep. Try to include foods like oatmeal, nuts, raspberries, tart cherries, bananas, and oranges, which all contain melatonin.
4. Learn To Take It Easy
A little stress can be a good thing as it drives you to be more productive. However, too much of it can affect sleep. You lie awake worrying as your mind barrels through thoughts. Not getting enough sleep at night makes you feel worse the next day and you carry over this anxiety to night time. Your body also produces the hormone cortisol when you’re stressed, which gives rise to the flight or fight response that keeps you alert and unable to sleep. Learning to take things easy can help you handle stressors better and become a calmer person. Taking time out for yourself, practicing deep breathing, yoga, and guided imagery can reduce stress and encourage nighttime sleep.
5. Dim The Lights Close To Bed
Bright light keeps you awake so it’s important to dim the lights as it gets close to bedtime otherwise you’ll be unnecessarily alert. Darkness signals your body that it’s time to sleep and encourages the production of melatonin, also called the hormone of darkness. About an hour or so before bed, turn the lights down or switch them off. You’ll find it much easier to sleep.
6. Keep Tech Out Of The Bedroom
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: The bedroom should be used for sleep and sex and nothing else! Gadgets are a distraction and having them in the bedroom will only tempt you to log on. The blue light emitted from the screens is also known to suppress melatonin while the content you engage in will keep your mind alert. For the sake of better sleep, banish tech to other rooms in the house.
7. Follow A Sleep Schedule
It may sound difficult if you’ve made a habit of sleeping and waking at various hours but following a regular sleep schedule makes a huge difference to your sleep quality. Humans are creatures of routine, and the same holds true for sleep schedules. They offer structure to our daily lives so that when it comes time to sleep, we don’t have trouble doing so. Having a regular sleep schedule also helps plan the day better and get things done.
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8. Create A Relaxing Bedroom
We’ve talked about keeping tech out of the bedroom, but it’s equally important to sleep in an environment that relaxes. Mess, bright lights, noise, and uncomfortable bedding can all work against you. Declutter your space, use soft lighting, and soundproof the room if needed. Buy the best mattress possible so that it provides a comfortable surface to sleep on.
Nuvanna is a mattress that’s designed with the right balance of comfort and support. It’s the brainchild of a mattress scientist who harnessed his vast experience to create a product that promises better sleep through three innovative layers. The top layer is a cooling gel layer that absorbs body heat and disperses it to keep you cool. The middle layer isolates motion so that you and yours don’t disturb each other with your movements. The bottom layer uses Nuvanna’s very own Progressive Support System to keep different parts of your body and spine perfectly supported.
Sleep has gone from becoming a priority to something we try to get a few hours of. But, it shouldn’t be this way. Good sleep can stave off a number of physical and mental health conditions and bring out your best self. This new year, break the cycle of bad sleep and resolve to make it a priority. That’s the first step to improving it. The tips we’ve given will follow, and you’ll soon enjoy the many benefits quality sleep guarantees.