Improving Quality of Sleep

By: Zachary Yuan

A good night’s sleep is just as important for your health as regular exercise and a healthy diet. Having sufficient and high quality sleep can significantly improve your brain performance, mood, and health.

On one hand, not getting enough quality sleep regularly can have negative effects on your thinking ability, mood, heart health, immune health, and more. It can also raise the risk of many diseases and disorders, ranging from developing obesity and diabetes, to many different heart conditions.

Here are 4 tips to help you sleep better at night:

Regular Exercise

Exercising regularly can definitely improve sleep and health. Research has shown that people who engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise during the day may see a difference in sleep quality that same night. However, even though daily exercise is key for a good night’s sleep, exercising too late in the day may cause sleep problems. This is due to the stimulatory effect of exercise, which increases alertness and levels of hormones such as epinephrine and adrenaline.

Sticking to a sleep schedule

Your body’s circadian rhythm functions on a set loop, aligning itself with sunrise and sunset. That’s why being consistent with your sleep and waking times can aid long-term sleep quality. Moreover, while taking short power naps can be beneficial, taking long or irregular naps during the day can confuse your internal clock, leading to a hard time falling asleep at night. This is why if you have trouble sleeping, try to get into the habit of waking up and going to bed at similar times every day.

Increase exposure to sunlight

Spending time in natural sunlight or bright light during the day can help keep your circadian rhythm healthy and, in turn, improve your daytime energy and nighttime sleep quality and duration. This is because of how light can affect melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep.

Reduce usage of electronic devices in the evening

Nighttime light exposure can have the opposite effect from daytime exposure because it reduces your levels of melatonin. Blue light, is the worst of all, and unfortunately, our electronic devices like smartphones and computers give off in large amounts. To reduce nighttime blue light exposure, consider wearing glasses that block blue light, as well as ditching your devices an hour before bed.