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Guide to Sleeping Well at Night

As we all know, sleep is incredibly important for our health span, just as much as diet and exercise. It improves our brain performance, mood and helps us heal.

Not getting enough sleep has been linked to many diseases, such as heart disease, obesity, dementia and stroke, so getting adequate sleep should be something we all focus on.

Sometimes, as most of us well know, it’s not as easy as laying down and closing our eyes.

This article will go over how to sleep well at night and tips for good sleep. Jump there now:

• How Can I Get Perfect Sleep at Night?
• How to Sleep Better at Night Naturally
• How to Sleep Instantly
• Food For Good Sleep
• End Note

Further Reading: The Importance of Sleep

How Can I Get Perfect Sleep at Night?

Before we get into it, we’ll begin by saying that: if you’re having trouble sleeping, see a doctor. They can do a blood test and check your medical history to see if you have any underlying conditions that must first be addressed before you start looking to other measures.

So, what does a healthy sleep look like?

It covers three areas:

• How much sleep you get
• Sleep quality
• Having a consistent sleep schedule

This already raises issues about certain groups that struggle with healthy sleep: shift workers, pregnant women, parents of babies, older adults who take medications that interfere with sleep and people who are stressed.

There are many factors that can disrupt our sleep but thankfully there are a range of strategies that may improve your sleep.

What is the 10 3 2 1 0 rule for sleep?

If you’re struggling to get more sleep, there’s currently a routine that may help. The 10-3-2-1-0 rule enables you to know when to stop doing things before bed. It goes like this:

• 10 hours before bed: no more caffeine
• 3 hours before bed: no more food or alcohol
• 2 hours before bed: no more work
• 1 hour before bed: no more screen time
• 0: the number of times you hit snooze in the morning

These are all factors we talk about in our tips below, so having these numbers may help you remember throughout the day to ensure you get a better night’s sleep.

Does sleep apnea cause insomnia?

Insomnia is when you’re having trouble getting to and/or staying asleep, which can be short-term or long-term (three months or longer). Sleep apnea is when your upper airway becomes blocked when you sleep, reducing or stopping airflow which then wakes you up at night.

In this way, sleep apnea can cause insomnia as it can prevent you from staying asleep and getting enough of it. If you’re experiencing any of these conditions, speak with your doctor.

Further Reading: What Happens If I Don’t Get Enough Sleep?

How to Sleep Better at Night Naturally

If you have a common sleep disorder, there are treatments your doctor can help you with, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, a CPAP machine for those with sleep apnea and medications.

If you’re trying to build a good sleeping routine, you need to get yourself out of bad sleep habits and create better ones. It can take time to settle into a routine, but once you do, you will find yourself experiencing improved and relaxing sleep.

If you’ve been after a sleep hygiene checklist, we’ve got you covered. Here are some tips on how to sleep through the night:

• Create and stick to a sleeping schedule, going to bed and getting up at the same time, even on weekends.
• If you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, leave your bed and do something relaxing, like reading or listening to soothing music, going back to bed once you’re tired. When doing this, maintain your sleep schedule.
• Don’t go to bed hungry or full and don’t eat large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime.
• Stimulants, such as alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, can interfere with sleep.
• Go to sleep in a cool, dark and quiet room.
• Invest in a good mattress, pillow, sheets and blanket.
• Avoid screens 1 to 2 hours before bed.
• Limit long daytime naps.
• Aim for physical activity each day, although not too close to bedtime.
• Manage your stress and worries to ease anxiety.
• If you work from home, don’t work from bed, otherwise, your mind can associate the bed with work and wakefulness.
• Avoid looking at the clock.
• Try aromatherapy, using peppermint or lavender to improve sleep.

Especially if you’re looking for what helps you stay asleep longer, these tips will monumentally help your sleep cycle and improve your sleep naturally in the long run.

Further Reading: The Different Types of Sleep

How to Sleep Instantly

Wondering, ‘How can I sleep good fast?’

Begin with the tips above, as once you have those sorted, you should find yourself falling asleep faster, deeper and longer.

You can also try breathing and visualisation methods to help yourself calm down and fall asleep.

For example:

• In your mind, say words that have no relation to each other, such as apple, frog, one and calendar. This breaks thinking chains and can cause you to fall asleep.
• Ty the 4-7-8 cycle. Place your tongue behind your teeth, exhale fully through your mouth, inhale through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7, exhale with a ‘whoosh’ again through your mouth for 8, and repeat.

Looking for a how to sleep well position? There are various sleeping positions to improve your health and sleep, such as on your side or with pillow support. You can read more about those here.

Food For Good Sleep

Did you know that there are a variety of foods and even drinks that help you get a better sleep? This is because they provide you will certain nutrients that your body needs to sleep.

Some of these foods include:

• Kiwi fruit: high in vitamins C and E, folate and potassium
• Tart cherries: high in melatonin
• Fatty fish: high in vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids
• Nuts: walnuts, pistachios, cashews and almonds have melatonin, magnesium, zinc and omega-3s
• Malted milk: high in vitamins B and D, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and melatonin
• Red grapes: some varieties are high in melatonin
• Turkey: high in protein and the amino acid, tryptophan, which increases melatonin
• Chamomile tea: contains apigenin, an antioxidant that may help with sleepiness and insomnia

Make sure to eat foods high in magnesium to help you get a better night’s sleep. You can also try Xandro’s Magnesium Glycinate supplement if you’re struggling to up your magnesium intake and you have low magnesium levels.

Further Reading: The Benefits of Sleep

End Note

Hopefully, you now have an arsenal of tips to help you improve your sleep. It can be incredibly hard though, especially if you’re currently going through a sleeping disorder, so have a chat with your medical professional and see how they can help.

We’ve mentioned taking magnesium to help improve your sleep, but you can also take other supplements for sleep, such as melatonin, 5-HTP, L-theanine, ashwagandha and GABA.

Keep yourself informed about your body! Have a browse through our blogs to learn more and see how else you can improve your health span.

Happy biohacking!