An impressive 68% had trouble sleeping at least once a week.
Fortunately, there is an answer to the question of how to sleep well and you’re in the right place to discover it.
The inability to sleep was first documented in the 15th century but it was present long before this and has become a common modern issue.
One of the biggest issues is the inability to switch your mind off. Let’s face it, you’re busy all the time, you’re under a lot of stress and your mind never stops. No wonder you can’t sleep; there simply aren’t enough hours in the day!
You can’t give up all your responsibilities and commitments, but you can learn how to sleep well.
It’s worth noting that exercise, such as the workouts in our FF30X 30-Day Program can help to tire your body, but it will only be truly beneficial after you apply these tips to your daily life:
6 Tips For How To Sleep Well
There’s no time like the present, start tonight with as many of these tips as you can, you’ll soon be sleeping like a baby!
Tip 1 – Turn Electronic Gadgets Off
Electronic gadgets such as your laptop and cell phone emit a blue light.
This triggers the same response in your brain as bright daylight, persuading your brain that it’s daytime.
In the daytime your levels of melatonin are generally low, this is the hormone that helps you to relax and sleep. By looking at blue light in the evening your melatonin levels will stay low, telling your brain it’s not the time to sleep!
You can block the blue light via an app on your phone or by wearing special glasses. The alternative is to turn off all devices emitting blue light at least 1 hour before bed.
Tip 2 – Lower Your Room Temperature
It’s nice to be warm at home, that’s what central heating is for.
However, it’s time to consider turning down the radiator in your bedroom.
Did you know your body temperature actually goes down when you sleep? Research has shown that the right room temperature can make a huge difference to your ability to sleep.
Set your bedroom thermostat to between 60 and 67° F and your body will be ready to sleep straight through!
Tip 3 – Darken The Room
The environment around you can seriously affect your ability to sleep. The two biggest factors are light and noise.
A big step forward in learning how to sleep well is looking at ways of eliminating these issues.
Darken your room to ensure melatonin levels in your body stay high, helping you to stay asleep.
Wear earplugs to protect against outside noise, this will ensure you are not unnecessarily disturbed.
You will need to make sure you have the volume high on your alarm to get you up in the morning though!
Tip 4 – Avoid Caffeine
You already know caffeine is a stimulant; you might even need it to get you fired up in the morning.
However, if you trying to discover how to sleep well, then you probably have problems sleeping and caffeine will not help.
You should avoid drinking it after 4 pm as it can stay in your system for between 6 and 8 hours!
Tip 5 – Set A Routine
Your body is very good at adapting to a schedule.
If you consider your current activities you’ll realize that you get hungry at a similar time each day and probably feel tired at the same time.
Building a sleeping routine will help you to sleep well.
Start by selecting a bedtime and sticking to it.
Then create a routine which tells your body that you are getting ready to sleep. This could be turning off blue light, having a wash, doing your teeth and then setting your alarm.
Within a few days, your body will know the routine and prepare itself for sleep.
Tip 6 – Meditation
As already mentioned stress is a huge problem in the modern world.
In fact, controlling it is one of the most important answers to the how to sleep well question you have been asking.
You can’t avoid all stress although you might be able to identify some and limit it.
You can also improve your response to stress by learning to meditate.
Meditation involves sitting comfortably and focusing on yourself and the environment around you. The idea is that this will help you to see what is really important, allowing you to discard the other matters.
Meditation can be done with or without music; you simply need to focus on what you are feeling and how your body is interacting with its environment at that moment in time.
Try it tonight, simply get comfortable and focus on one thought only.
Understanding The Importance Of Sleeping Well
Even though you are looking at how to sleep well you might be one of those people that functions perfectly well on 4 or 5 hours sleep a night.
This is fine except that research shows inadequate sleep is responsible for a variety of health issues.
When you sleep your body recovers from the traumas of the day. It uses this time to balance your hormones and help you to feel centered and content in the morning.
A good night’s sleep also reduces your level of the hormone ghrelin, also known as the hunger hormone. At the same time, it increases the level of leptin in your body, otherwise known as the feeling full hormone.
In short, 6 – 7 hours sleep a night is essential to avoid you over-eating and potentially becoming obese.
Set a bedtime at least 7 hours before you need to get up, you’ll feel better for it.
Supplements Can Help You Sleep Well
It is possible to take a variety of supplements to help you sleep. Melatonin is one of the most popular but there are other options:
- Ginkgo biloba – 250mg 60 minutes before bed.
- Valerian Root – 500mg just before bed.
- Magnesium – as part of a daily supplement.
- L-Theanine – 100mg just before bed.
It’s important to note that you should only take one of these per night and they should be seen as a temporary measure to aid your body in adjusting to implementing the tips above.
Supplements should not be seen as a long-term solution to the question of how to sleep well.
No Time To Snooze!
You wanted to know how to sleep well. In fact, it simply means adopting a sensible approach to bedtime.
Avoid stimulants like caffeine and even alcohol before bed. Turn off your blue screens and use the above tips to help you de-stress and relax; ready to sleep.
It’s important to note that exercise, such as the workouts in our FF30X 30-Day Programcan help you get ready for sleep. It will release anxiety and stress while increasing your body temperature. The drop in temperature after you finish working out can prompt your brain to feel sleepy.
At the worst it will help you to feel better about yourself, releasing anxiety and promoting your ability to sleep. Exercise might seem like an unlikely answer to the question of how to sleep well, but it can help.
Implement these measures today. Let me know how you’re doing, the Fit Father Project and I are here to support you on every step of your journey to better health.
Your new friend & health coach,
Stuart Carter, Dip. PT, Precision Nutrition 1
C.O.O., The Fit Father Project
Stuart gained his Diploma in Personal Training & Sports Medicine through Premier Global, back in 2001. In 2018, he completed his Level 1 Precision Nutrition qualification.
Throughout his career in Fitness, Stuart has trained hundreds of clients, worked in almost every position in the industry, and ran his own successful training studio.
After a hiatus away from the Fitness industry, working in Corporate Management and Finance, Stuart returned to what he loves… Fitness! This return led to a chance meeting with Dr. Balduzzi, and a place in the Fit Father Project team.
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