1. Develop the habit of sleeping immediately or within 30 minutes upon getting into bed
If you have a habit of taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep after getting into bed, then this sleep won't be effective. In fact, before falling deeply asleep, your body also needs 15 - 30 minutes to relax comfortably and prepare for deep sleep. Life's pressures may make you think, try to relax your mind before going to bed to develop the habit of falling asleep immediately upon getting into bed or at least within 30 minutes.
When it's difficult to sleep, you can't fall asleep in just a few minutes when lying down. Because at this point, your body isn't truly relaxed and comfortable enough to fall asleep. There are still many factors affecting sleep such as lifestyle habits, diet, noise, light, room temperature... Avoid bringing work into the bedroom or trying to finish work too close to bedtime as it will affect your sleep cycle. Arrange and complete tasks an hour before bedtime to enter the bedroom, relax your mind, and make it easier for your body to fall asleep and sleep in the correct cycle, according to daily sleep habits.


2. Adjust the room temperature to the appropriate level
Room temperature is a key factor to help you achieve quality sleep and maintain a healthy body. Regardless of hot or cold weather, many people prioritize comfort over health and set the temperature without much consideration. Typically, the ideal room temperature for sleep is 25 - 28°C. In reality, the room temperature should be maintained at a difference of 3 - 5°C from the outdoor weather conditions to ensure comfort and better sleep.
If you're too cold or too hot at night, your body will work harder to maintain the correct conditions. Therefore, a slight decrease in temperature will help you sleep better, but too much decrease will keep you awake. Find the most comfortable temperature for your bedroom as it can make a difference between insomnia and restful sleep. Experiment with different temperature settings until you find the one that works best for you. Studies suggest that sleeping at temperatures below 16.7°C.


3. Power Down Electronics an Hour Before Bedtime
One useful solution to improve sleep quality is to turn off all electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, or TVs at least 1 hour before you begin to sleep. The reason is that the light emitted from these devices interferes with sleep-inducing hormones, maintaining certain physiological functions, including sleep. Using devices keeps your brain active and doesn't allow it time to relax. Therefore, you can't fall asleep immediately, and it can directly impact your health.
Researchers found that those who use electronic devices before bedtime in the dark experience the most sleep deprivation. This could be due to the blue light disrupting the body's sleep hormone when looking at screens in the dark. It could also be because children who use electronic devices in the dark stay up later (possibly unknown to parents) than those who stop playing when the lights go out.


4. Maintain a Quiet Sleeping Environment
Noisy sounds disturb your ability to sleep. This is a significant issue for many people. Typically, when you hear noise, your brain analyzes it, making it difficult to fall asleep when your brain isn't relaxed. To achieve quality sleep, you must ensure a quiet sleeping environment by minimizing noise as much as possible, such as: choosing a quiet location or installing a soundproof bedroom.
The bedroom is a private room designed and arranged for people to sleep at night or rest and relax during the day. The bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the house, serving the function of relaxation, rest, and recuperation after a long day of stressful work or when quiet space is needed. Therefore, you should always consider adding a touch of positive energy when decorating the bedroom space.


5. Eat Light Before Bedtime
Aside from the fact that overeating at night can lead to rapid weight gain and adversely affect health, consuming heavy meals at night keeps your digestive system constantly active. When digestion is incomplete, it disrupts your sleep. The best approach is to eat lightly in the evening, about 2 hours before bedtime, to ensure proper digestion and promote better sleep quality. This also safeguards your body's health, ensuring you wake up feeling refreshed the next morning.
A warm glass of milk can induce a good night's sleep. Milk is a source of tryptophan, an essential amino acid and a precursor to melatonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep. Both have sleep-improving properties. Alternatively, you can snack on some almonds, as they are rich in magnesium, a mineral known to enhance sleep quality and duration. Almonds are also high in fiber, helping curb nighttime cravings and regulating metabolism.


6. Keep Your Bed Space Free
For many, the bed serves as a multitasking hub for activities like reading, watching movies, or playing games. However, these activities should only be done about 1 - 2 hours before sleep, not when you're already in bed, as they also affect sleep quality. When you go to bed, it should be for sleeping alone, without any distractions. Avoid bringing anything onto the bed that will keep your mind active and unable to rest. By clearing everything away, you'll have a better sleep.
While having pets like dogs or cats can be emotionally rewarding and provide numerous mental benefits, studies by scientists have shown that sharing your bed with them can disrupt your sleep. Don't assume that your pets are free of bacteria just because they look clean. Bacteria can hide in their fur or claws, invisible to the naked eye and impossible to fully clean off! Therefore, avoid letting your pets onto your bed, and after playing with them, remember to wash your hands to protect your own health!


7. Avoid Actively Waking Up During the Night
Insomnia is a subjective complaint of sleep disorder, inadequate sleep time, poor sleep quality, meaning that upon waking up, one still feels physically and mentally unrefreshed, lethargic, and sleepy. Depending on the case, it can be manifested by difficulty falling asleep, waking up multiple times during the night, waking up early, or feeling completely sleep deprived. The prevalence of insomnia accounts for about 10 - 15% of the population, with transient insomnia being the most common. The prevalence of insomnia increases with age, and females are twice as likely as males.
You should not deliberately wake up during the night as this will eventually lead to insomnia. Waking up multiple times in one night disrupts your sleep significantly, causing your body to feel tired the next morning. If you wake up only once to go to the bathroom and then go back to sleep, it's okay, but if you've already fallen asleep and keep waking up to check the time or want to browse the web, suddenly remember a game you were playing and want to finish it, then I must say your sleep is completely disrupted.


8. Maintain Regular Biological Clock
Consistency in sleep patterns is crucial for your body. For instance, if you slept at 2 a.m. the previous night and didn't sleep until 10 p.m. the next day, your body cannot establish a stable circadian rhythm, leading to disruptions in the body. Therefore, ensure that you schedule your sleep and wake times properly every day to keep your body healthy and well-rested the following day. Individuals with circadian rhythm sleep disorders cannot sleep and wake at the usual times needed for work, school, and social obligations.
Humans, like most other organisms, have different biological clocks. The daily biological rhythm, often called the body clock or circadian clock, regulates daily recurring processes such as body temperature, alertness, hormone secretion, and sleep timing. Because of the biological clock, sleepiness does not increase steadily throughout the day; a person's sleep demand and ability to sleep are also influenced by the time elapsed since the person woke up from a full sleep and the person's internal daily rhythm. Thus, the human body is prepared for sleep and wakefulness at relatively specific times of the day.


9. Avoid Intense Exercise Before Bed
Exercising intensely in the evening may leave your body feeling energized, but it's not conducive to sleep as your body isn't able to relax and unwind immediately afterward. Schedule your workouts for the early morning to get your body moving effectively. If you exercise in the evening, keep it light for about 15 - 30 minutes and ensure you refrain from intense exercise within 2 - 3 hours before bedtime.
After a long day at work, an evening workout before showering and bedtime sounds fantastic. You may even think it will help you sleep better, but that's not necessarily the case. On some days, it's challenging to fit in a workout during the day. So, you start running 10km at night or doing a Cardio session while watching your favorite TV show just before bed. Although the benefits of regular exercise have a positive impact on health, excessive exercise before bed can make it difficult for you to fall asleep.


10. Stay Away from Stimulants
Tea, coffee, fizzy drinks are stimulants you should absolutely avoid in the evening. After 14 hours each day, make it a habit to steer clear of these stimulants if you don't want your sleep to be affected. Allow about 8 hours for caffeine-containing substances to be fully processed. Just like vigorous exercise in the evening, stimulants make your body more alert, leading to insomnia. Drink water about 20 - 30 minutes before bedtime; it will help you sleep better. In theory, alcohol makes you drowsy. But in reality, alcohol can also reduce the quality of REM sleep, which is the stage of rapid eye movement sleep or dream sleep, and that's when the body rests the most.
So, instead of aiding sleep, a glass of wine before bed can disrupt sleep. The impact of caffeine on sleep quality has been proven. However, afternoon coffee can also make you sleepless or restless. Because the effects of caffeine can be felt up to 12 hours after consumption. Even herbal tea may contain a certain amount of caffeine. So make sure your favorite hot drink in the evening doesn't contain stimulants if you want to sleep well.


