Getting a good night’s sleep is more important than you think. Getting the most from your hours of dreaming is vital, and the better your sleep, the better your concentration, your energy levels, your creativity, and your immune system. Sleep is vital, but there are a lot of mistakes that the average person makes when it comes to getting more from their time in bed. While everyone has different sleeping patterns, and some will need 6-hours of sleep compared to those that need 8-hours, avoiding the following mistakes will mean that your sleep is more beneficial. If you want to wake up energized and ready to go, here are some mistakes you might be making, and how to avoid them.
Table of Contents
The Afternoon Nap
There’s something special about the afternoon nap, and it can be tough to avoid. Although napping in itself is not something that you absolutely must avoid, it’s important to understand just how to nap. There’s a clear nap timeline that indicates the effects of different amounts of time spent snoozing, and anything from 20-minutes to two-hours can be beneficial if done right. However, the closer your nap is to your bedtime, the harder you will find it to fall asleep.
Staying in Bed
Those nights when you can’t quite drift off are very frustrating. If you went to bed 30-minutes ago and you’re still not asleep, then don’t stay in bed. Get yourself out of bed and do an activity that is both stress-free, and that has a conclusion. Pick an activity like washing up the mess from dinner, reading a set number of chapters, or having a shower.
Overthinking
If you get into bed and your mind is still racing with mistakes you made a decade ago or processing what happened during the last 24-hours, then you will find it much more difficult to drift off. It’s essential to learn how to declutter your brain, and you can do this by:
- Giving yourself some relaxation time before bed
- Talking about any anxiety or stress issues that you have
- Being creative to distract yourself (making a to-do list for the next day is great)
- Exercising during the day to tire your body and brain out
Overthinking is all too common at night, so do some research into the best ways to avoid letting brain turmoil ruin your sleeping patterns.
Ignoring Discomfort
Many common sleeping issues can affect your ability to get into a deep sleeping rhythm. One of the most common is the grinding of teeth (also known as bruxism). Usually a sign of stress, teeth grinding doesn’t just leave you waking up with an aching jaw, it also wears down your tooth enamel while preventing you from getting into the deeper sleep cycles. Don’t ignore this problem because there are plenty of solutions available. By far the most practical is to have a custom-made nightguard from Best Dental because over-the-counter night guards will tend to make the problem worse. Try out a night guard, and your sleep could be utterly transformed.
Getting more from your sleep is easy to do, but it means tackling many of the bad nighttime habits that are all too easy to develop. Establish a bedtime routine and get ready to wake up feeling better and more energized than ever before.
