Getting quality sleep is a challenge for many people around the world. The constant exposure to artificial lighting, hectic work schedules, and stress wreak havoc on our sleep schedules. What’s more, we even find it difficult to stay asleep when we do manage to drift off. All of these issues negatively affect our sleep schedules.
Despite all of these things working against us, there are ways that we can increase our sleep optimization in 2022. To learn how you can increase your sleep this year, read on.
Go To Bed Early
If you give yourself extra time to settle in, you’ll feel less pressure to fall asleep, and with less stress, you’ll increase the likelihood of falling asleep. Sometimes, the thing that keeps us up the most is fearing that we won’t fall asleep.
If we take this worry out of the equation, it’s one less thing to stress about, and we might even feel a bit more peace as we drift off. Reduce your stress and keep yourself healthy!
If you’re wondering how to fix sleep schedule issues, a trick to help you ease into restful sleep is to go to bed early. Try going to bed at least half an hour earlier than usual to give yourself time to wind down.
Create A Bedtime Routine
Another way to increase your sleep this year is to create a bedtime routine that you use every night. We can create new patterns that support our sleep by teaching our brains to pick up cues.
Your bedtime routine should consist of activities that induce relaxation. For some, this might mean journaling, meditating, taking a bubble bath, or drinking chamomile tea. Whatever helps you wind down, take up these routine behaviors nightly, so your mind catches on to these changes!
Turn Down The Lights
Aim to make your room as dark as possible so you can fall asleep without distraction. It’s easy to pick up the light from your phone or outside, even while wearing a sleeping mask. Our skin is sensitive to light, so we can still sense it even when we think we’ve blocked it all out.
Consider purchasing blackout curtains or shades to keep external light away during sleep and turn on ‘do not disturb on your phone. Place your phone and other electronics under your bed, so you are not disturbed by lights from your charger or other devices.
Use Essential Oils
Aromatherapy can be an effective way to relax and induce sleep. You’d be surprised how something as simple as a pleasant scent can improve your sleep! Soothing scents like chamomile, lavender, and peppermint can be diffused in an essential oil diffuser, or dab a few drops on your wrist or pillow at bedtime.
Listen To A Sleep Podcast
Another way to increase your sleep optimization is to drift back to sleep by listening to a sleep podcast, sleep story, or audio recording. Using noise-canceling headphones, you can drift off to the sounds of someone reading to you.
If you’re not a story person, you might like listening to guided meditations to help you fall asleep. If you’d rather sleep in silence, you can purchase earplugs to block out the noise inside your room! See what’s out there and give it a try.
The Bottom Line
Increasing sleep optimization in 2022 is about using simple tips and tricks to get your body back into an effective sleep rhythm and groove. Don’t let the stresses of the day prevent you from getting the shuteye you need. Consider the above suggestions as you work to optimize your sleep this year!
