Five things to do in order to improve the quality of your sleep

The most underrated aspect of wellness is quality sleep. It seems like such a simple thing, but the one's who are unable to fall asleep - the new mommy’s, those who are feeling anxious and the one's trying to lose weight will understand its value .

Let me first explain, what I mean by quality sleep, and how do you know if you are getting enough sleep? In general a person’s longevity increases when he has spent most of his life sleeping for 8 hours. Studies also show that the percentage of people who suffer from anxiety, heart attack, blood pressure and auto-immune reduces significantly when they are getting their 8 hours of sleep.

What are the factors that determine the quality of your sleep.

1. Are you waking up feeling refreshed, energetic and ready to take on the day?

2. Did you wake up less than 1 time at night?

3. Did you fall asleep in the first 10 minutes of being in bed?

4. Did u have dreams? Did you remember them?

If the answers are yes to these then you are sleeping well and soundly. If the answers are No for two or more than it’s important that you work on the quality and quantity of sleep.

These are the simple ways that one can improve sleep quality

6 Pm Reset .

You may not like this, but I normally recommend the reduction in the usage of electronics in your space, home and vicinity post sunset. While it’s not always possible there are plenty of reasons to do so for a healthier lifestyle. On the days that you can’t, I would recommend that you use the blue light setting on your electronics post 6 pm.

Early morning sunlight

Step out in the sun for at least 10-15 minutes in the morning. Not sunny , no problem. Still step out in the early hours. The morning light resets our circadian rhythm syncing it with nature . This ensures that we feel sleepy at night and we are awake , alert and refreshed during the day

Work on your stress levels

If you are wired and tired, you may have trouble falling/ staying asleep . Make sure you have a stable self care routine, go to bed at the same time every night and do an activity that relaxes you ( slows you down); it could be listening to music, having a warm bath, reading a book or watching something uplifting for a short while .

Eat atleast 2 hours before you sleep

If u sleep right after dinner the digestion process is in full swing, with your brain sending signals to the gut for its processing. Hence the sleep that you achieve won't be its best. Ideally eat dinner by 7 30 if u intend to sleep by 10 pm. Also stop drinking excess of caffeine and sugar post sunset, if it doesn’t work for you .

Still struggling to sleep post all this?

Make sure your sleeping space is being used just for that – sleep. The brain learns by repetition so if you are working, watching tv and doing other activities in your bed- you may have a problem using the same place to sleep.

If there is an imbalance and a deficiency in a few vitamins and minerals they also disrupt your sleep cycles. Get yourself tested if you are struggling with sleep even after all these steps