Start today with a healthier lifestyle that includes sleeping tonight. Begin by assessing your own individual needs and sleep habits. How do you feel after a poor night’s sleep? Do you get a good night’s sleep most nights? Sleep is critical to your overall health.
A healthier lifestyle includes some healthy sleep tips :
- Stick to a schedule by going to bed and waking up the same time, even on the weekends. This helps to regulate your body’s clock and could help you fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.
- Try a relaxing bedtime routine. Avoiding bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety which can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
- If you have trouble sleeping, avoid naps, especially in the afternoon.
- Exercise daily. Vigorous exercise is best, but even light exercise is better than no activity. Exercise at any time of day, but not at the expense of your sleep.
- Evaluate your room. Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep. Your bedroom should be cool – between 60 and 67 degrees. Your bedroom should also be free from any noise that can disturb your sleep. Finally, your bedroom should be free from any light.
- Sleep at night on a comfortable mattress and pillows that are supportive. The life expectancy of a mattress is about 9 or 10 years for most good quality mattresses. Check your pillows and make sure they are free of allergens that might affect your sleep.
- Avoid alcohol and heavy meals in the evening. Eating big or spicy meals can cause discomfort from indigestion that can make it hard to sleep. If you can, avoid eating large meals for two to three hours before bedtime. Try a light snack 45 minutes before bed if you’re still hungry.
- Slow down before bed. Your body needs time to shift into sleep mode, so spend the last hour before bed doing a calming activity such as reading. So avoid electronics before bed or in the middle of the night these things can disturb your sleep.
Stop and think about think how you can get a better nights rest you deserve it!
Resources:
http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-tools-tips/healthy-sleep-tips
Author: Marie Economos, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Trumbull County, Western Reserve, economos.2@osu.edu
Reviewer: Shannon Carter, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County, carter.413@osu.edu
Live Healthy Live Well 
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