One of the biggest myths people associate with sleep is that an increased quantity of sleep leads to an increased quality of sleep. You can sleep 8 hours a night and the quality can still be poor which will leave you feeling unrested. If you are someone who feels tired all the time or someone who just needs to get more rest then you have come to the right place.
Here are 4 factors that impact your quality of sleep.
1. How Much You Exercise
One of the biggest factors in achieving good sleep quality is how much exercise you do each day. Fitting exercise into your daily routine can be difficult, especially if you are a full-time parent/carer or working full time. However, if you are not getting enough exercise day-to-day this will negatively impact the quality of your sleep. This doesn’t mean that you have to go to the gym every day and smash out an intense and overly long session. In fact, something as simple as a 30-minute walk each day can significantly improve not only your sleep quality but also your cardiovascular health. If you want to take this to the next level you could aim to hit 10,000 steps each day and that will have you sleeping a lot better.
2. The Quality of Your Mattress
Another important factor that impacts your quality of sleep is how good your mattress is. This will come as no surprise but an uncomfortable mattress will result in poor quality sleep as you will end up tossing and turning throughout the night, sometimes without even realizing it. You should replace your mattress every 6 to 8 years and if you have had yours for a while then it might be worth checking out https://sleep-reviews.com/ to find a new, practical, and comfortable mattress. Take your time while going through reviews because this can help you save a lot of time, money, and effort in the long run if it stops you from buying the wrong mattress. There are a lot of options out there, including memory foam, spring, and hybrid options. Each has different pros and cons, some are better for bad backs and some hold their shape better than others. So depending on what your priorities are, this will help you to make a decision.
Mattresses can be expensive but it is worth considering them as an investment for your physical and mental wellbeing.
3. Your Alcohol Consumption
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that alcohol will help them sleep better, and while it will make you fall asleep faster, it significantly reduces the quality of your sleep. This is because if you drink alcohol before bed then your body is still processing the alcohol and this prevents you from achieving sufficient REM sleep, which is what you need to wake up feeling restored. Also, often people are unaware of the fact that heavy drinking increases your chances of having vivid dreams and nightmares, which can make you feel tired when you wake up. Having one or two is not going to be detrimental to your sleep but it will still make an impact. Any more than three drinks will certainly affect your sleep. If you need to improve your sleep during the week then consider cutting out alcohol to help you feel more rested when waking up for work in the morning.
4. Blue Light Exposure
Technology has advanced rapidly in recent years and has penetrated all areas of our lives. As a result of this, we have access to smartphones, laptops, tablets, and more. What people do not realize is that electronics give off blue light exposure which increases alertness and messes up your body’s natural clock, the circadian rhythm. This is because blue light prevents the production of a hormone called melatonin that makes you tired. So if you are someone who likes to scroll on your phone before bed or watch movies on your laptop, try giving yourself a cut-off time at least half an hour before you go to sleep. This will help your body to produce the necessary hormones for you to fall asleep before you need to. Otherwise, if you are simply scrolling on your phone for a while and then turn over to sleep this is going to make falling asleep a lot more difficult.
So if you are someone who feels tired often then you should work on improving your quality of sleep. Take into account these four factors and it will significantly improve your sleep and your lifestyle as a whole.