Our bodies and minds require a certain amount of quality sleep each night to perform our best. You’ve been feeling restless at night which you thought was from joint pain. After you start to feel better from appointments at ThriveMD, you still find yourself tossing and turning each night. We are offering 3 tips to get to bed earlier so you can get the quality rest you need and deserve!
1- Limit Screen Time Before Bed
It’s all too tempting to scroll social media while we doze off to bed. The problem with this? Well, there are a few. To start with, we often spend way more time than we had planned to once we get stuck in the TikTok vortex. It’s hard to limit our screen time when we’re cozy in bed. This turns out to keep us up much past our bedtimes.
Another negative of screen time is that science shows it inhibits sleep by severely disrupting the natural hormone production of melatonin that helps us to fall asleep faster. In essence, this makes a lot of sense as we weren’t biologically designed to have bright lights once the sun sets.
2- Peaceful Nighttime Practices
Sometimes it’s hard for us to get to sleep at a decent hour because we feel too stressed about the day or the next. It’s common for your mind to be racing with thoughts of work, relationships, and what needs to get done. When you lay down for bed, this is when you have minimal distractions.
However, this is why it’s the perfect time to implement some healthy nighttime practices that will help calm those thoughts and assist you in getting to sleep early.
Here are just a few nighttime practices to consider:
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Gratitude Journaling
- Mindful Breathing
3- Consider Herbal Tea or Natural Supplements
Plenty of natural remedies are available if you want to have some help getting to bed earlier than normal. Teas and supplements could possibly help if you find yourself constantly staying up later than you had planned.
Lavender teas are widely available and help to calm your body and mind down. Consider making a warm, soothing cup an hour before you’re ready to hit the hay.
Supplements are another remedy to try to help you get to sleep sooner. Melatonin is naturally produced in our body, but if you have a deficit of melatonin, purchasing a supplement could help boost those numbers. After all, melatonin is a hormone that helps us wind down and feel ready for bed.
Final Thoughts
Quality sleep is vital for our physical and mental health. It’s normal to have some nights where you feel restless, but this certainly shouldn’t be “the norm” for you. If you find that you regularly have a hard time falling asleep, it may be time to get some help.
There may be more serious reasons that you have trouble getting to sleep at night like sleep apnea or anxiety. It’s best that you consult with a professional if you find that the lack of sleep is impacting your mental and/or physical health.