Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Adjust your sleep patterns
• Method 2 of 3: Create a Sleeping Environment
• Method 3 of 3: Change Your Lifestyle for Better Sleep

Sleep quality is just as important as quantity. Even if you sleep for the required number of hours each night, but wake up often, go to bed at different times, or your sleep is shallow, you are unlikely to benefit from sleep. Alcohol, caffeine, light, noise, and anxiety can all affect the quality of your sleep. If you want quality rest, set a sleep schedule that matches your body's natural rhythms. Reduce stress and distractions, and keep yourself calm before bed.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Adjust your sleep patterns

1. 1 Set a time for you to go to bed and wake up. Your sleep will be more restful if you go to bed and wake up at about the same time every day. The regimen helps the body prepare for sleep. Work, children, and other responsibilities can affect your sleep patterns.
   • Those who like to sleep in the morning, especially night owls, may be tempted to sleep longer on weekends. Try to stick to your weekend routine too, waking up and going to bed at the same time.
   • If you have not been able to get adequate sleep for several nights, try to increase your sleep on subsequent nights.
   • If you are sick, you can sleep more. When you recover, try to return to your normal sleep patterns as soon as possible.
2. 2 Determine your natural sleep schedule. If time and availability allows you to create your own sleep schedule, adjust it to the rhythms of your body. There are two main states of the body - sleep and wakefulness. Pay attention to when you feel tired and when you are most alert and active.
   • To establish natural sleep patterns, try waking up without an alarm for a couple of weeks. Write down the time when you wake up.
   • At the same time, keep track of when you start to feel sleepy and ready for sleep. Also write down the time you go to bed.
   • After a while, you may find that you wake up and go to bed at the same time without an alarm.
   • Reinforce the habit of waking up and falling asleep at the same time. Once you have established a natural sleep and wake schedule, follow the schedule for waking up and getting ready for bed. Follow the established routine.
   • If your natural sleep patterns turn out to be irregular, try going to bed at different times and choosing the one that works best for you.
3. 3 Larks (people who get up early and go to bed early) tend to find it easier to follow established sleep patterns. If you tend to be more energetic in the evening, you may just need to set a specific bedtime.
   • Make sure you get enough sleep by following your sleep schedule. If you don't get enough sleep, your body will not get the rest it needs.
4. 4 Get enough sleep. If you are an adult, you should sleep 7-8 hours a night. Teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep, and children need at least 10 hours. Lack of sleep increases your risk of developing anxiety and various diseases.
   • Sleeping too long, however, will reduce the quality of your sleep, and you may feel lethargic afterwards.
5. 5 Do your best not to wake up at night. Try to avoid nighttime awakenings. This may not be so easy, especially if you are a night owl, have children, or are light sleepers. However, if you put in the necessary effort and do whatever is necessary to ensure yourself a comfortable rest, you will sleep soundly throughout the night. Tell yourself and those close to you that you do not want to wake up at night and do your best for this.
   • If you usually go to the bathroom at night, limit your fluid intake a few hours before bed.
   • Remove as many distractions as possible (we'll cover that in more detail in Part 2) to create a sleep-friendly environment. Try to avoid being disturbed by lights, sounds, or other things that might wake you up.
   • Elderly people need 7-8 hours of sleep, but they tend to have very light sleep and wake up frequently. If you are an elderly person, take a rest during the day and allow yourself to sleep for more than 8 hours at night.
   • If you have a baby under the age of one year, sleep deprivation is a common condition for you. However, it can be made easier by setting some rules. Agree with your husband, partner, or other family member to take turns getting up and stay with the child. Put your baby to bed in his own crib and take him to your bed only for night feeds.
   • Try to wait a bit when you hear the baby fumbling or crying. Don't ignore him, but wait just a few minutes - he may calm down on his own.
6. 6 Maintain a regular routine every night before bed. The most important thing is that your actions must be consistent. Brush your teeth, wash your face, and do other activities in the same order every night. Include calming treatments in your bedtime routine. This will give your body a signal that it's time to relax.
   • For example, you can take a warm bath or shower before bed.
   • Dim the lights to stimulate the body's production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
   • It is better to listen to soft music than watching TV or spending time in front of the screen of another electronic device. Otherwise, it may be difficult for you to fall asleep.
7. 7 If you are having trouble falling asleep, get out of bed for a while. While it is of course best to go to bed and fall asleep at the same time each time, sometimes you cannot fall asleep quickly. If you are having trouble falling asleep 15 minutes after you go to bed, get up and do some relaxing activity for a while. Read a magazine, do a light stretch, or listen to music. Return to bed immediately when you feel sleepy.
   • Lying in bed worrying about not being able to fall asleep may keep you from relaxing, and the bed may become associated with anxiety. If you get up and do something else, the bed will still be related only to sleep for you.
   • If this happens often, you may need to make changes to your sleep and wake patterns.
8. 8 Turn off the alarm. The alarm clock interferes with quality sleep. Try to train your body to wake up at the same time every morning. However, if you can't trust your natural biological clock, set an alarm.
9. 9 Use the bed only for sleeping. As much as you want to work, read, watch TV, or play with your phone on your bed, as a result, you may have a hard time falling asleep when it's time to go to bed. Try to use the bed only for sleep or sex, so that the body gets used to it: if you go to bed, then it's time to sleep.

Method 2 of 3: Create a Sleeping Environment

1. 1 Make sure the bedroom is dark enough at night. Hang curtains to block out the light. If the reason for your insomnia lies in the light that comes in through the window, choose thicker curtains. Any light sources in the bedroom should be turned off, covered or turned towards the wall. Do not use a night light.
   • A few hours before bedtime, dim the lights in your home and do not use electronic devices with a luminous screen.
   • If you share a room with someone who needs light in the morning or after you go to bed, use a soft cotton sleep mask.
   • Light interferes with the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for feeling tired. Light from electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops is particularly stimulating, preventing the body from producing melatonin and making it very difficult to fall asleep. Try not to use these devices before bed.
2. 2 Monitor the noise level. While some types of background noise can be calming, it can be more difficult to fall asleep in a house full of different sounds. If you live with family or neighbors, consider using earplugs when sleeping. Talk to the others about what time the silence mode will start in your house.
   • The sound of a fan or white noise generator can help you fall asleep and stay awake until morning. White noise includes sounds of different frequencies, masking other sounds that interfere with your sleep or wake you up.
3. 3 Make sure your bedroom is cool. Warm, comfy blankets usually make you sleepy, but getting too hot tends to interfere with sleep. If possible, adjust the temperature in the room where you sleep; if you are hot, remove the blanket. Sleep naked if comfortable so that your body can regulate temperature on its own.
   • Reduce the heat level at night. Your body temperature drops at night, so you will be more comfortable if the room is cool.
   • Some people find it helpful to take a cool shower before going to bed, as it lowers the body temperature to the desired level.
4. 4 Make your bed comfortable. The quality of the mattress and pillow affects sleep. If your mattress is right, you will sleep soundly. The mattress should be changed every seven years, or more often if it sags or becomes uncomfortable. If you are experiencing discomfort, you can do this earlier than the specified time. If you wake up with neck or back pain, or sleep better at a party or at a hotel rather than at home, then it's probably time to change your mattress.
   • Make sure your bed is the correct length and width. If you sleep with your partner, you should both have plenty of room to toss and turn in your sleep.
   • If animals or children interfere with your sleep, set restrictions on them.
5. 5 Keep order in the room. Relaxing in a chaotic bedroom is not easy. Tidy up your room before bed and remove anything that reminds you of your daily routine. Your work should be out of your sight. Remove all unnecessary items from the room and store them elsewhere. The path from the bed to the door must be clear.

Method 3 of 3: Change Your Lifestyle for Better Sleep

1. 1 Make sure your naps are sparse and brief. Unless you are a child or an elderly person, naps can reduce the quality of your sleep. If you do need to take a nap, your rest should not exceed 30 minutes. Long naps will make you feel sleepy for the rest of the day, and then you won't be able to fall asleep at night. If you decide to take a nap, do it in the afternoon. During this time, the likelihood of disrupting your sleep schedule is lowest.
2. 2 Get exercise. Throughout the day, release your natural physical energy. Run, walk, ride your bike. A healthy adult needs at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Combine cardio and strength training. Don't sit too long - get up to move and stretch.
   • Avoid vigorous exercise two hours before bed. If you are active before bedtime, it may be difficult for you to fall asleep.
   • Moderate stretching and evening walks will not affect your sleep quality.
3. 3 Take care of the correct diet. If you are hungry or, conversely, just ate your fill, it will prevent you from falling asleep. Try to finish your last meal 2-3 hours before bedtime. This is especially true for those with acid reflux. If 4-5 hours have passed since your last meal, you can have a light snack before bed.
   • You can eat white bread toast with peanut butter or peanut butter. You will no longer feel hungry and may even feel more sleepy.
4. 4 Limit your intake of caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine can interfere with sleep, so try not to consume it 6 hours before bed. Avoid coffee, tea, other caffeinated drinks, and dark chocolate before bed. If you decide to drink an alcoholic beverage, do so at least an hour before bed. For each portion (glass, shot) of alcohol, add one hour.
   • For example, if you go to bed at 10:00 pm and are going to drink two servings of alcoholic beverage, do so no later than 8:00 pm.
   • Although you may feel tired and relaxed after drinking alcohol, it actually reduces the quality of your sleep.
   • Alcohol puts a person immediately into deep sleep, bypassing the phase of REM sleep, so you wake up early and do not feel rested. It can also cause sweating, snoring, and urge to urinate, so you won't get a good night's sleep.
   • If you like warm drinks before bed, drink herbal tea, warm milk, or just warm water.
5. 5 Avoid sleeping pills, drugs, and cigarettes. Sleep medications negatively affect sleep quality and regularity, so it's best not to use them. If you practice good sleep hygiene and still struggle to fall asleep, talk to your doctor about taking sleeping pills for a short time. Do not smoke or use drugs before bed (in fact, do not use them at all!).
6. 6 Reduce stress levels. Stress and anxiety will keep you awake at night. However, maintaining a consistent routine before bed will signal your body to sleep. If you are haunted by the thought of something that you need to do, keep a notebook next to your bed and write them down before falling asleep. After writing down the things you need to do, tell yourself that now is not the time to worry about them.
   • Tell yourself, “Now is not the time to solve problems. I'll do it tomorrow. Now it's time to sleep. "
7. 7 Monitor your health. Poor sleep quality can be linked to problems such as heart failure, other cardiovascular diseases, obesity, stroke, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Sleep can also be improved by treating these conditions.See your doctor at least once a year to rule out these problems.