10 Easy, No-Fail, and Tested Techniques To Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Are you finding it difficult to have a peaceful sleep at night? Is improper sleep making you groggy the next morning? 

If yes, you’re in the right place.

Sleep deprivation is a serious problem that could affect your whole body in many ways. 

If you’re not getting enough sleep, it can even cause high blood pressure, affect blood sugar, reduce focus, decrease memory, and invite several other problems.

So, it’s crucial to get proper sleep to maintain optimum body functions. 

Before we dive into proven scientific ways to get good sleep at night, let’s explore the root causes of poor sleep.

What causes you poor quality sleep?

There can be multiple causes of poor sleep quality. Here are the most common ones:

• Stress
• Stimulating emotions
• Physical pain
• Medications
• Neurological disorders – These can lead to sleep problems in some people.
• Eating heavy meals at night
• Cramps

Now that we’ve seen the causes, it’s time to discover 10 tested techniques that work wonders to get good sleep at night.

1. Exercise in the morning: 

When it comes to the benefits of exercise most people only think about muscle health, metabolism, energy levels, and less stress. But the sleep benefits of exercise are often overlooked.

Yes. Exercising can help you to sleep better too. According to a study, exercises can improve sleep quality and can prevent insomnia. 

Now, coming to the most asked question “Best time to exercise for better sleep?”. Research shows it’s always better to exercise in the morning to get maximum results.

It’s because your body needs to cool down after exercising. And also, exercises increase alertness and wakefulness. So, you might not want to mess up your sleep by exercising in the evening. 

2. Avoid afternoon naps after 3 PM: 

After a productive and tiring morning, you might feel a longing to relax and recharge. Then, short power naps come as a superb way to recharge your energy.

A study recommends a timing of only 10-20 minutes for afternoon naps to enhance your performance. Also, napping after 3 pm might disturb your night sleep time.

It’s better to never sleep after 3 pm to have a good sleep at night. Limit your nap timing to 10-20 minutes to get refreshed and enhance productivity.

3. Avoid Caffeine 6 hours before bedtime: 

Worried if you should ditch coffee to have a good night’s sleep? Everyone enjoys coffee and it’s a go-to ritual for many people to kick start their day.

But caffeine content, the time you consume coffee, and the number of coffee you have per day affect your sleep. 

A study shows having coffee at bedtime or 3 hours before bed can disturb sleep. It also recommends having coffee at least 6 hours before you go to sleep. 

Here are some hacks to enjoy both coffee and good sleep:

• Never consume coffee after 4 pm. 
• Limit your coffee intake to 2 cups per day.
• Don’t consume coffee first thing in the morning. Drink some water and then have your coffee.
• Prefer dark roasted coffee over light one to reduce caffeine content. 

4. Avoid phones an hour before bed:

Are you scrolling your phone lying on the bed and wondering why you can’t sleep? You’re not alone!

If you’re using mobile phones before you sleep, then probably you’re not aware of how badly it impacts your sleep. Let’s see why this matters:

• You’re altering the body’s natural clock, that is, sleeping when the sun is set.
• Melatonin is a hormone released by your body for putting you to sleep. But the phone’s blue light can imitate daylight which can stop the secretion and release of melatonin hormone. 
• You are stirring intense emotions like stress, happiness, and sadness by consuming content. 

Stop using your phones an hour before you sleep. Try these better solutions instead,

• Read a book. 
• Try journaling. 
• Spend quality time with your family
• Go for a stroll after dinner.

All these activities help you fall asleep faster.

5. Stay enough hydrated:

Do you know that drinking water could help you to sleep better? Dehydration can lead to many problems like dizziness, and low pressure including sleep disorders.

When you are not hydrated, you might experience the following symptoms during your sleep:

• Muscle cramps
• Excessive thirst
• Dry mouth
• Headaches
• Muscle spasms

Hence stay hydrated enough to avoid dehydration-inducing sleep problems.

But there’s a catch. Drinking large quantities of water before bed can also disturb your sleep. You might feel the urge to urinate often.

Follow these rules to stay hydrated and sleep better:

• Stay hydrated throughout the day. It can be fruit juices or water. 
• Set alarms or keep a water bottle nearby to not forget drinking water.
• Do not consume too much water after 6 pm. Of course, you can have sips but not liters of water.

6. Take a warm shower or Dip your Feet in a Tub of Lukewarm Water:

If you’re still not convinced with these above techniques, then try taking a warm shower before bed. Confused why this matters for better sleep? Let’s see.

Taking a warm shower reduces your body temperature making it ideal to release melatonin and go to sleep. 

A study confirms that taking a warm shower daily improves the quality of sleep.

But what if you couldn’t take a warm shower daily at night? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. 

If you couldn’t take a hot shower, then dipping your feet in a tub of lukewarm water would help equally. Try this technique 90 minutes before bed to yield maximum benefits. 

7. Massage your feet with sesame oil: 

Pada-Abhyanga is a unique Ayurvedic ritual practiced at night to promote peaceful sleep. It is a technique of massaging your feet (Padam) with oil. 

But do you know how and why this is so effective for good sleep?

According to Ayurveda, sleep problems occur when your Vata dosha goes imbalanced. Oil massage is a great way to balance your Vata dosha.

Now let’s see the step-by-step process to do pada-abhyanga: 

1. Pada-Abhyanga has to be done at bedtime preferably after 1-2 hours of your dinner.
2. Take organic sesame oil or bhringraj oil and warm it a little bit.
3. Apply in your feet, soles, and in between the soles, and give a circular massage with your hands.
4. Do this for 10-15 minutes.
5. Wipe off the extra oil in your feet with a towel.
6. Finally, dip your feet in hot water and you’re good to go to sleep.

8. Create a sleep-friendly environment:

You would be surprised to know how environmental factors like noise, light, and temperature negatively affect your sleep.

This study shows that modifications in the sleep environment can improve sleep in people.

Here’s a checklist to create an ideal environment to sleep:

• Warm temperatures could lead to sweating. Aim for a cool temperature in your room.
• Dim all the lights. Make sure your curtains and windows don’t let in light when the sun rises.
• From television to mobile phones, switch off electronic devices. 
• Don’t let any noise into your room. If it is out of your control, then play some calm music to help you.
• Declutter your room. Avoid mess and tidy up things. 

Once you have successfully ticked the above boxes, you are on your way to having a sweet and sound sleep.

9. Avoid alcohol to sleep better:

Many people believe and use alcohol as a sleeping aid to relax and sleep. But it’s the exact opposite. By using it regularly, you are becoming vulnerable to insomnia compared to others.

According to a study, a regular habit of drinking can alter sleep physiology and lead to insomnia.

You might feel sleepy or even sleep after taking alcohol. But here’s how alcohol affects the later half of sleep.

1. Alcohol is a diuretic. You might pee more often at night and this would disturb your sleep.
2. In the second half, you may experience dreams which can lead to tossing and turning up often.

So, avoid alcohol completely, not only for good sleep but also to prevent many diseases.

10. Get early morning sunlight: 

If you’re struggling to sleep better, then expose yourself to enough sunlight. Now, I can sense your confusion about the connection between these two.

So, here’s the tea.

According to research, getting enough sunlight regularizes your body’s internal clock. Not only that, but the light at the right time also promotes good sleep and mood.

Hence, make it a routine to get sunlight in the early morning hours. You can do this either by going for a walk or a jog.

The Bonus Tip

Despite knowing that poor sleep affects blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate, and brain functions, we often remain ignorant about fixing our sleep cycle.

Most people start implementing the solutions but fail to do it consistently and get back to an improper sleeping routine.

This happens because we can’t ‘see’ what effects lack of sleep is having on our health. What if we could check the effect of our sleep quality on our health quality?

It would help motivate us to stay consistent, build the right habits, and make informed decisions. All this is possible with Eyva.

Eyva is your health and wellness companion that tells you about your 6 key body vitals including blood sugar and heart rate. A gadget that continuously keeps you aware of how your daily activities like sleeping affect your health, with just a touch.

Poor quality sleep degrades your vitals. Whereas good sleep improves them and keeps you healthy. Don’t just adopt solutions, also know if they are working for you. So you can do more of what fosters your health.

With Eyva, you never fail to keep a track of your health. Plus, stay consistent with habits that promise you a healthier, happier, and better lifestyle.

Final words:

The role of sleep in the functioning of your body is often underestimated. Your body uses this sleeping time to recharge, repair, and perform certain important functions.

Improper sleep or lack of sleep can cause many health problems. Make it a routine to go to bed at 10 pm. 

If not by 10, then at the earliest time possible. And aim for 7-9 hours of deep sleep daily.

When you have proper sound sleep, you wake up refreshed. Your mornings are no more groggy.

The mind is focussed. You’re more productive at work and tend to be happier.

Your sleep impacts your lifestyle. Make sure you’re at peace with both. 

Hope you successfully develop a proper sleeping routine with Eyva. Have a peaceful and healthy sleep now. Ahh yes, sweet dreams!