Natural Ways to Improve the Quality of Sleep

A good night's sleep is important for you to remain healthy, both in body and mind. Insomnia and loss of deep sleep can affect your performance at work, your relationships, your overall health and your safety. Lack of sleep can cause irritability, an inability to concentrate or make wise decisions and can even cause you to be a dangerous driver due to a decrease in your reaction time. Thankfully, there are natural ways to improve the quality of your sleep without having to take sleeping medications.

Create a Sleeping Environment

• Sleep in a quiet, dark pitch black room that is cool; around 60 degrees to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Run a fan or other constantly running subtle background noise, like a white noise machine or air filter, to drown out sounds from outside or in the house. Light tells your brain that it's time to wake up, so limit the amount of light in your room as much as possible. Cover up any electronic devices that have LEDs or other constantly lit indicator lights when they are plugged into the wall. If your bedroom window is near a streetlight, purchase thick, light-blocking full-length curtains to block out as much light as you can.

Stop Worrying

• You may find that when you lie down and attempt to go to sleep that your mind is going over your daily worries and that you just can't seem to shut it down. This can cause stress that prevents you from falling asleep. Write down what you are worried about and don't let yourself think about it until the next day. After all, worrying about something that you can do nothing about, such as getting to the bank in time in the morning for example, or landing that new job, is not really productive. All it does is upset you, and the stress it causes prevents your mind from turning off so that you can fall asleep. You may have to tell yourself not to think about it, but after a while, you will train your mind to stop the worry cycle when you go to bed.

Relaxation Techniques

• Meditation, soft ambient music, taking long hot baths and placing drops of scented oils on your pillow are all natural ways to help your body relax. Try meditating for 15 minutes before you go to bed in a quiet, dark space to encourage your body to relax. Hot baths are another way to relax tight muscles and get them to let go of the stress that you have carried in them all day. Herbal remedies such as breathing in calming scents like lavender may help you as well. Our minds associate scents with memories and the feelings, good or bad, that are attached to them, so find a scent that brings out soothing, happy memories or feelings and use it in your room.

Sleeping Routine

• Establish a sleeping routine to get your body used to going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day. Adults need eight to nine hours of sleep a night to feel fully rested and refreshed, so keep this in mind when you decide what your routine will be. You body has a natural sleep cycle, so try to pay attention to when you are tired and listen to your body's needs, as this will help you figure out what a good sleeping routine will be for you.

Diet

• Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and smoking after lunchtime as they may interfere with your body's natural sleep cycle. Don't eat large meals or drink a lot before going to bed to prevent having to get up a lot during the night to make trips to the bathroom.

Hide Your Clock

• Set your alarm clock and cover it with a thick towel or place it under your bed or in your nightstand drawer. That way you will hear the alarm, but won't be stuck lying there staring at the clock all night as you try to go to sleep. The more you attempt to sleep and stare at the time slowly going by, the more frustrated and more awake you will become.