Healthy sleep habits can greatly affect quality of life. Here are five tips, taken from our experts, to promote sound sleep:
- Exercise daily. Exercise is not only good for your waistline, it’s good for sleep too. Vigorous exercise is best, but even light exercise helps you to relax at the end of the day.
- Expose yourself to bright light during the day. Bright light—like sunlight in the morning—helps to reset your circadian rhythms. Avoid bright light in the evening, when it’s time to wind down.
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time, even on the weekends, helps to regulate your body’s clock.
- Avoid naps. If naps get you through the day but keep you up at night, try to go without them.
- Use your bedroom for sleep. If you have trouble falling asleep, take work or computers outside of the room until you feel tired. Leave any activities that might produce stress outside of your bedroom.
If better sleep habits don’t increase the amount of sleep you get at night or the quality of your sleep, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea. Our Sleep Disorders Program can help you to determine what is causing your sleep issues and work with you to get a good nights’ sleep. Learn more.
This article first appeared in the November 2015 edition of the HealthPerks newsletter.
