5 Practical Tips for Royal Comfort Sleep

A good night's sleep is just as important as a healthy diet or keeping fit.

Studies show that poor quality sleep has instant negative effects on your brain function and performance during the day. On the other hand, good sleep can help you eat less, exercise more effectively and be healthier overall. In recent years, both sleep quality and quantity have significantly declined, with many people regularly getting poor sleep.

Let's have a quick look on the 5 practical tips for better sleep from health24.com:

1. Determine how much sleep you need

7-9 hours sleep every night is an appropriate duration for an adult. However, it may not be case for everyone depending on other factors such like age or pregnancy. It is crucial to understand your basic needs including how long does it takes for you to doze off (Average would be 20 minutes to fall asleep after getting into bed). If you are struggling to fall asleep, it may due to your lifestyle as following tip.

2. Limit your alcohol and caffeine intake before bed

While alcohol might help you fall into a deep sleep more quickly, studies show that it can affect the quality of your sleep as it reduces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In contrary, caffeine may make it difficult to fall asleep and may also cause you to sleep more lightly, as well as disrupting the REM stage of your sleep cycle. A study found that drinking coffee 6 hours before going to bed reduced total sleep time by 1 hour. If you are ingesting alcohol or caffeine, try to avoid these substances close to your bedtime so that your body has time to process them.

3. Charge your phone away from your bed

It is not uncommon for people to lie in bed and scroll through social media on their phone just before going to sleep. This is made even easier when your phone is charging next to your bed. The problem is that the light from our devices is "short-wavelength-enriched", meaning it has a higher concentration of blue light than natural light. Blue light not only lowers the levels of the hormone melatonin, which is sleep-inducing, but it also disrupts the body's circadian rhythms. Blue light essentially tricks your body into thinking it is daytime, resulting in difficulty falling asleep.

4. Reduce long daytime naps

Power naps (60 to 90 minutes long) are aptly named as they have been proven to be beneficial. However, long naps during the day can negatively impact your sleep at night. Studies also show irregular naps during the day result in sleepiness during the day. Sleeping during the daytime can also mess with your internal body clock, which could result in difficulty falling asleep at night.

5. Replace your pillow and mattress

Studies show that your mattress and pillow both have a big impact on the quality of your sleep. There has also been research on the benefits of a new mattress. A study found that a better mattress reduced back pain by 57%, back stiffness by 59%, shoulder pain by 60% and improved sleep quality by 60%.