How to Get Better Rest at Night

Getting a good amount of sleep is essential for good health. Here are some helpful tips that can help you get the most of your nightly repose.

Clock-Watching Increases Anxiety

One of the very worst things you can do is get stuck watching the clock tick by the hours and minutes of your night. This can produce a lot of anxiety and these results will only make it more difficult to get back to sleep. Avoid the temptation to be consistently looking at the clock as you are trying to get back to sleep. Turn the clock around so the display is not visible to you. If you can’t get to sleep, do something more productive. Try reading a book, doing a household chore or meditating. A warm cup of decaffeinated tea is another great way to get some sleep. Once you begin feeling tired again, you can climb back in bed and get some rest.

Use Pillows to Ease Low Back Pain

It is well known that those that suffer from lower back problems often have a harder time getting to sleep because of the physical discomfort. A supportive mattress like Sleep Number will help ensure that your body is supported in the right places. It is not the level of pain that impacts sleeping habits but the constant feeling of discomfort. In this case it can help to adopt a new sleeping position. Try sleeping on your side. You can also place a pillow between the knees to ensure that your hips are aligned well and this can relieve pressure on the back. Furthermore, be sure to swing both legs over the side of the bed as you are climbing in and out of bed.

Keep Your Neck in a Neutral Position

Another common reason for sleep trouble is mild to severe neck pains. Getting a proper neck position while sleeping is another good way to reduce pressure on the neck and get better sleep. You want to get your neck into a neutral position. In other words, it should be aligned with the rest of the body as well. This begins with your selection of pillows. If your pillows are too high or too low, they will strain your neck in one direction or another. Feather or memory foam pillows are a good option as they adjust their height to the optimal height of the neck. Furthermore, you will want to avoid sleeping on your front as this will twist your neck in an unnatural way and can create pain in the night and following morning. Remember to keep the head more or less level with the rest of the body for best positions.

Allergy-Proof Your Mattress and Blankets

Allergies can also affect your capacity to fall into a restful sleep. If you are suffering sniffles, sneezing, stuffy nose and coughing, it could be that your mattress is causing the problems. Dust, dust mites and many other smaller compounds can inhabit your bedding and without regular cleaning can cause breathing issues. These can be cleaned regularly to reduce the trouble they can cause to your sleep habits. To minimize this problem, use hypoallergenic covers for your mattress and pillow. Also change your bedding as often as possible and wash laundry in water higher than 130°C. If you allow your pets to sleep on your bed this can cause a larger problem as pet dander adds to the potential for allergic reactions.

Use the Bed Only for Sleep

If you feel like you have been having a hard time getting to sleep, it may be a good idea to reserve the sanctity of your room for sleep alone. If you are not ready to go to sleep, find something else to do in another part of the house. You could take on a task, do some relaxing yoga or read in another room. Then, reserve the bedroom only for sleeping and sex.

Finally, keep the TVs, laptops and mobile devices out of the bed and turn them all off for an hour before getting to bed. The idea here is to allow your mind and body to associate the bedroom with nothing but relaxation. Another good idea is to keep your room comfortably cool as this also promotes a healthy sleep cycle.