The five best ways to get better sleep in your home.
And here we are again at Sweet blog, the sweetest blog online.
And today, due to several questions from our readers regarding the subject, We will address one of the most significant issues in every home - Its space dedicated to sleep and how to improve it.
First, it is highly recommended to get educated on the matter and read the clinical definitions of this phenomenon, better known as Insomnia. You can find quality information on the subject here.
There is a well-known quote:
"My mom told me to follow my dreams - so I took a nap."
And now, seriously - The considerable contribution of quality sleep to our physical and mental health has been proven by countless studies. And yet, more and more people struggle to get proper sleep time, an action that, as mentioned, is critical for their health and routine daily functioning.
By the way, A funny saying in the fitness world is that, due to the enormous contribution of sleep to athletic performance, it is pretty surprising that it is not on the list of banned substances for athletes.
You can read more here about the devastating consequences of sleep disorders on your daily functioning.
This article will review everything related to sleeping within your home space. What are the challenges and problems, and how can you improve them and move towards quality sleep in your home.
The article's structure will be in such a way that it will raise a challenge relevant to the issue of sleep, and next to it will be presented its solution.
The scope of the discussion will be quite broad, starting from physical and medical aspects through mental and ending with social ones.
And as always, at the end of the article, there will be a refreshing infographic presentation to summarize its content for you.
Hop on.
1. Sleeping environment.
There is a quote attributed to the fashion Icon Gucci:
"Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten."
An intuitively accepted fact is that the quality of your Bedding (mattress, bed, etc.) is critical to the quality of your sleep.
Therefore, first and foremost, you must ensure that you have the most appropriate "sleeping tools" (within your budget, of course). And if improving sleep is an important goal for you, You should do as much as possible to have everything you need.
Although the mattress and bed market is quite huge, and the variety will blow your mind, these products must Be adjusted in the most personal and suitable way for you and your preference!
That is why the large selection mustn't confuse you, And after a thorough examination, You must be able to choose the most suitable ones for you.
Here and here, you can read more about how to choose a mattress and Bedding in an ideal way.
Don't be shy. You must conduct the most in-depth tests you can. Your sense of comfort while lying on the bed should be your top priority, And if that means you have to take a nap in the middle of the store - So be it!
By the way, And our deepest apologies in advance to all Mattress online store owners - We do not recommend purchasing a mattress online.
Unlike most products, you must physically feel your mattress in the most intimate sense before purchasing. And even if you're sure it's the same model you saw in the physical store, and all that's left is to order it online (because it's usually cheaper there) - Don't!
How does it feel?
Another essential aspect is an ideal sleeping environment.
Your sleeping environment is basically a space of four walls known as a “bedroom.”
The more your sense of comfort and calm in that room increases, the more ideal your sleeping environment will be.
But let's be honest. There isn't a one-size-fits-all magic solution when creating an ideal sleeping environment.
Some people will need environmental changes in the Feng Shui style to help them sleep better. It will probably involve creating a darker space.
For the other, it will be sealing against external noise. And some will even need to lower the room temperature and take a warm bath - Each person and their personal preferences.
The guiding principle is to create a better sleep-supportive physical home environment than the one you currently have.
The way to do so should include preliminary research that will locate those areas within your bedroom that need improvement and which are personally adapted to the challenges you face.
By doing this, you will Significantly improve your physical sleep environment.
So now, after we understood (the obvious, we should note) that the road to better quality sleeping begins with improving your bedding environment, it's time to move to the next step.
2. The battle of the mind.
Stephen Covey once said: "mind over mattress."
There is no need to expand on the enormous effect an overactive brain has on insomnia. We all experience it. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out.
Just try to remember the last time something was disturbing your mind. Were you able to sleep well?
An overly active mind will prevent you from being able to relax, which is especially necessary for a good night's sleep.
Here you can read more about why Your Brain Won't Stop Talking To Itself - Something that will surely disturb your sleep.
A chattering brain disturbs sleep
We've talked enough about the problem. Well, What about a solution?
We wouldn't be honest if we claimed there is a magic solution for a chattering mind or nagging thoughts that disturb sleep. And anyone who unequivocally states otherwise is probably trying to sell you something.
With that being said, we have some ideas that might help you and be worth checking out.
Gillian Flynn once said:
"Sleep is like a cat: It only comes to you if you ignore it."
Without pretending to be a fussy New Age guru, Yet, So much lies in the broader contexts of this quote.
You will frequently hear profound sayings that resistance (in the sense of lack of Acceptance) is the root of all suffering.
Just as Ram Dass argued:
"The resistance to the unpleasant situation is the root of suffering." Some will even argue that Acceptance Is the Key to Happiness.
In the very act of non-acceptance, your brain creates a state of disharmony, which inevitably leads to an unpleasant feeling.
When something unpleasant happens, and you, If you're not particularly lazy, do everything in your power to improve it. However, unfortunately, you still failing - will worrying/beating yourself/getting angry/whining - Change the unwanted outcome?
Of course not.
The only thing actions like these (known as "resistance/lack of acceptance") will do, is frustrate you even more.
You must have heard Buddha's famous story about the second arrow.
Buddha once asked his student:
'If an arrow strikes a person, is it painful? Is it even more painful if a second arrow strikes the person?'
After the student did not fully understand his teacher's intention, he received an answer:
In life, we can only sometimes control the first arrow. However, the second arrow is our reaction to the first. The meaning of the second arrow is entirely optional, and it is in our hands."
Once the outcome is clear and unchangeable, there is no point in hurting yourself again with another arrow. Breathe, regroup, and move on as many times as needed.
Read more here about Second Arrow Syndrome: How We Multiply our Own Suffering, and How We Might Avoid It.
As mentioned before, as long as you are not particularly lazy, you will get things done even if you are a little late sometimes.
And yet, most of our disturbing thoughts deal with issues that are no longer relevant at the practical level and which we have no control over now.
This unaccepting conversation going on in your chatty mind from aspects of concern over which you have no control ("Is Elizabeth mad at me, she made a weird face at me this morning at the office?" "What about my rent in ten months, will my landlord raise it in our next contract"), through irrelevant perfectionism ("I'm sure I could have presented my morning presentation better. I can forget about my promotion"), and ending with self-flagellation without any purpose ("I'm not a good father, I'm fed up with myself").
All these aspects have a common denominator - thinking (obsessive and exhausting, it should be noted) about them at this particular moment will contribute nothing to their improvement. Action is what is needed, not self-pity.
If you have an issue in your work with Elizabeth, approach her and ask her politely, and together try to resolve it.
Your apartment contract for another ten months is not open to any practical discussion at the moment. There is no point in worrying about it so early in advance. It does not contribute to anything.
Regarding your presentation, Next time, be better prepared if you have doubts about your job performance.
If you think you are not a good father, go to a professional specializing in parenting and see what you can do to improve.
The guiding principle is that the non-accepting/harmonious thought only exhausts you and, above all, distracts you from finding more accurate and effective solutions for your problems.
In her latest book - "A Mind at Home with Itself" - The Wonderful Byron Katie will open your mind to that matter. Please do yourself a (huge!) favor and read it.
Now, You must be asking how all of this relates to your sleep.
In fact, against the rising flow of thoughts, you have to treat them like clouds - just let them pass you by without engaging/getting attached to them.
We are well aware that this may sound particularly difficult. But it isn't. You think it is not easy because you link This simple act and your desire to see immediate improvement results. That's not the way things work. The process itself is pretty simple. And as for the results - Give it some time.
An interesting trick in this context is to place a question mark combined with a smile instead of an exclamation mark at the end of each thought.
"I'm not a good enough father" = self-beating/frustration/an exhausted and confused brain that doesn't stop chatting with itself = sleep disorders.
"Am I not a good enough father? (with a smile that combines supercilious) = an amusing thought that passes quickly without leaving a memorable mark = happy snorts.
These are just simple examples of the Letting go of thought technique instead of struggling with them.
And again, to all the perfectionists' anxious people among you, remember - the things that are supposed to be done will eventually get done at the end of the day - chill, please!
Don't mistake this technique for overlooking. It's supposed to help you be practical and calm right now For this particular moment (which is the only one that exists, by the way) - and thus get some sleep.
And besides that, a little nonchalance and easygoingness never hurt anyone. Think about that for a moment.
Another excellent tip in this regard - try to meditate in a technology-free environment about twenty minutes before your bedtime. It will help you a lot with calming your mind, which will inevitably help you to fall asleep more smoothly.
3. Technology.
Leon Kass once said:
"Many people recognize that technology often comes with unintended and undesirable side effects."
Indeed, along with the enormous benefits of technological advancements, it still brings considerable challenges.
The main one is, as is well known, the loss of the human dimension - We communicate using screens only. We express emotion through engineered likes, And sophisticated algorithms make us feel loved due to the bounce of personalized content at exact times.
In terms of the scope of use, some may even argue that the technological advance, reflected in the obsessive use of technological equipment (smartphones, for that matter), is much more addictive than heroin and meth. You may be surprised to hear, but there are currently New Studies Compare Smartphones to Cocaine Addiction.
In light of all this, and further to what we wrote above regarding the importance of a calm and peaceful mind for good sleep - it is clear how much technology can be a factor in sleep disorders.
Be honest for a moment. How often have you scrolled aimlessly on your smartphone screen until the middle of the night without realizing what you're looking at?
Aimless scrolling disturbs sleep
This phenomenon is so common that it even received an official name:
"revenge bedtime procrastination" - the decision to postpone your sleep due to mental stress and the lack of free time during the day. A kind of compensation ("revenge") that is not healthy for you, but you do it anyway.
And what better "better" way to do that than mindlessly scrolling on your smartphone?
The brilliant software developers of the big tech companies are fully aware of these phenomena, and that's why they developed crazy algorithms that will characterize you and your content preferences very quickly. Thus the content will tempt you to keep scrolling, and you won't be able to put the freaking phone down. It's all deliberate, and big bucks are invested in it.
The problem with continuous scrolling is not only wasting time that should have been devoted to sleep. It is much more severe - following the exciting content of social media, your heart rate and adrenaline may increase. And with them, your emotional state becomes a roller coaster, and how on earth will you fall asleep like that?
Try to think about it this way - what puts you to sleep faster, a Mike Tyson fight or a documentary about the Austro-Hungarian dynasty?
Exactly.
By the way, we won't even start talking about the "blue light" that comes from these screens, which will disturb not only your sleep but also can harm your health.
Now that we have somewhat understood the problem, what is the solution?
Well, like many other things in life, the solution is straightforward to say but challenging to implement:
Once you have decided (and you must decide) about bedtime - Ensure that your phone does not enter the room half an hour before that. Plain and simple!
The same goes for the TV in your bedroom (you don't have to take it out of the room, of course. turn it off and put the remote away from you).
Your half-hour before bed should be completely screen-free!
Two more tips on that matter.
One, make sure you charge your phone outside of your bedroom. That way, you will be much less tempted to use it.
Second, do some deep mental work with yourself by deeply recognizing that the bedroom is supposed to be a free space of relaxation and a technology-free zone. This psychological insight can help you in the mental war against the temptations of technology.
These actions, Along with those mentioned above, will help you relax properly - something that has been proven critical regarding falling asleep more smoothly.
4. Better time management.
Regarding better time management, first and foremost, you should read the article from our sweet blog.
You must be asking how time management is related to better quality sleep within your home.
Well, If you are not aware of how your day should be conducted and when you are supposed to go to sleep, you will be in serious trouble when it comes to sleeping smoothly.
Manage your day so that the time you are supposed to sleep will be the time you are most physically exhausted.
An unnecessary afternoon nap that will keep you up at night - out!
Eating too heavily close to sleep which will weigh you down and prevent you from falling asleep - hell no.
Aerobic exercises near your bedtime that will raise your heart rate to such a level that it will take time to "relax," and thus, your sleep will be disturbed - Think again!
Caffeine/alcohol before bed - a big no-no!
Taking care, close to sleep, of work or family matters which can be done earlier in the day - Not very wise.
Try to create as close as possible to your bedtime a relaxing sleep ritual that includes reading/listening to relaxing music, etc.
Manage your time wisely!
The guiding principle is planning your day's activities to bring you to sleep when you are as relaxed and tired as possible. And although it sounds very "cold" and technical - It definitely can be done. A little strategic thought and you're all set.
5. Medical reasons.
Disclaimer:
Under no circumstances do we pretend to be a medical source that provides medical recommendations. Our intentions in this regard are only to discuss things that we think are important in this context.
Despite our goodwill and everything stated above, medical reasons are sometimes the source of the problem that makes it difficult for you to get a good night's sleep. As such, their solution is only in the hands of your doctor.
Medical reasons that may cause this can be related to Neurological problems, diabetes, kidney disease, problems with breathing, vascular issues, and even mental problems.
And although we do not despise spiritual tools, God forbid, no matter how much meditation you practice, if you have kidney problems for the sake of argument, things will not work out without proper medical treatment. If this is the case, your only solution is to contact your doctor and talk to him about it. As a professional in the field, he is your only address in cases like these.
See this dude!
The medical field of treating sleep problems has developed enormously, And doctors have a variety of tools with which they can help you. Sophisticated sleep labs, which you've probably heard of, are just one of them.
In conclusion, we hope this article - 'The five best ways to get better sleep in your home' - will help you to some extent in improving sleep in your home.
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