Has the pandemic got to you? Are you still thinking about how to get more deep sleep naturally?
You might have thought this was going to be easy as you are stuck at home the entire day and can sleep all day. But the pandemic and lockdown are anything but easy. And getting a great sleep routine is the most important way you can survive the pandemic with your mental health intact.
Thankfully there are many things you can try to ensure that you get better sleep habits. Here’s everything you need to know.
1. Exercise Every Day
We all know exercising regularly is good for us. Exercise releases endorphins which can control energy consumption and conservation, all of which are great for sleep.
If you exercise every day, particularly in the morning or afternoon, and not straight before you wind-down for sleep it can be hugely beneficial and contribute to better sleep habits.
Exercising is also great for your mental health as it gets you out of the house and away from the computer screen. It gets your heart racing and your muscles pumping. You will no longer feel lethargic but energetic and with lots of energy for the day to come.
By the time you go to sleep, you will feel like sleeping because you have expunged all of your energy during the day.
Exercise During the Pandemic
If you are limiting your contact with the outside world because of the pandemic or you are in a state that is authorizing stay-at-home orders, the gym can be off the menu. So how can you exercise effectively so that your sleep pattern is not disturbed?
Try going for an early morning run. You will be unlikely to see anyone else and will not have to worry about social distancing or pesky Karens threatening to report you for minor breaches of regulations.
You could also do some squats or situps. Try to do these in a different room to the one in which you sleep. Get yourself an exercise video workout on YouTube, with someone that you like or trust. If one exercise class isn’t working, change it up.
You could even try the Tempo Studio, a giant portrait sized tablet designed for working out. It can instruct you and measure your movements to see where you are going wrong.
2. Wind-Down Routine
One of the biggest things we have to cope with in the modern age is how much information we have to process daily.
Unlike our ancestors who were only concerned with what happened in their small village, we can find out any piece of information whenever we want.
Every day we have smartphones, tablets, and laptops which can let us know what is happening in the Middle East or satisfy our desire for videos, social media, and everything in between.
Many of these stories can also make us feel anxious and can lead us to get caught up in thought.
It’s important therefore that we have a good wind-down routine. Give yourself about 2 hours before you go to bed where you do something relaxing. Read a book or a Kindle that uses e-ink.
Light yourself some candles or put on some calming music. Get yourself a smart speaker like an Amazon Alexa so you don’t have to look at the screens on your phone to play your audiobook if they are your thing or to check your emails. You can even make phone calls from them.
3. Ditch the Devices
Devices such as phones, tablets, TV screens, and computers all contain blue light which stimulates the brain. We all live in an age of pressure like never before where we feel we need to work night and day.
And when we’re done with work we then have to answer messages from all of our friends and watch the news. It can feel as if all of our time is taken up by these devices when in fact we can switch them off.
Be strict about this and set yourself an alarm that you stick to every day. Tell your friends and family that you won’t message them after a certain time so they know your routine and can help you stick to it. This is one of the best tricks to help you sleep.
Charging and Alarm Clocks
One of the key excuses that people use to look at phones before they go to bed is that they need to charge them or to use them as an alarm clock.
This can be solved in two easy ways. First of all, charge your computer and phones in a separate room and make sure they are switched off whilst they charge.
Second, buy an alarm clock or a smart speaker with an alarm clock built-in. This way you won’t be tempted to look at the blue screen light before you go to bed.
4. Don’t Drink Liquids Before Bed
Are you one of these people who gets up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet? It can be horrible because a full bladder can disrupt your sleep pattern.
Of course, drinking water throughout the day is important so that we stay hydrated. But drinking it before you go to bed is not a great idea. Just as you’ve drifted into a deep sleep your body will wake you up to go to the toilet. You will feel groggy and like you can’t get back to sleep.
It might be ok to drink a small glass of milk or a drink without sugar in plenty of time before you go to bed so long as you empty your bladder.
You must avoid sugary drinks in the hours leading up to your bedtime as well. Sugar can make you feel active and stimulates your system. It’s also a bad idea because you are not burning it off the sugar will simply be absorbed by your system which can cause weight gain. One of the best tricks to help you sleep is to avoid liquids.
Instead of liquids try something like these sleep gummies for six months from SugarBear Hair as they could revolutionize your sleeping pattern.
5. Avoid Coffee or Caffeine After 3 PM
Research suggests coffee can disrupt your sleep six hours after drinking it. This means if you want to go to bed at 9 pm you should avoid coffee after 3 pm and after 4 pm if you want to go to bed at 10 pm etc.
Most people don’t drink coffee in the evenings anyway and prefer to drink it in the mornings.
Caffeine addiction can also create other problems in your life. Withdrawal can give you headaches and can lead you to feel dehydrated to the extent you feel you cannot replenish the water in your body quickly enough no matter how much water you drink.
It can also affect your concentration and your mood, making you irritable around others. A coffee now and then or in the morning is ok but if it becomes a habit you must learn to cut it out.
Lockdown Routine
Coffee from brands like Starbucks is also expensive and full of sugar and other chemicals that are bad for you. If you do want to drink coffee then you are much better off brewing your own at home.
Buy your own beans or order them online and roast them yourself in a special machine. Drink your coffee with a little bit of milk and no sugar for the perfect morning drink.
Lockdown gives us the unique opportunity to plan the times of day we are going to eat and drink without the stress of the commute to work or only having an hour for lunch and eating junk food. Take advantage of this to improve your overall lifestyle.
How to Get More Deep Sleep Naturally? Change Your Routine and See the Lockdown Positives
If you want to get better sleep habits then the answer is clear. You must change your entire routine for the better. Stop drinking coffee or liquids before you go to bed. Turn off your computer and phones at a set time every day.
Take advantage of the lockdown and use it to create better habits for yourself, away from the stressful world of work where you have to be in the office every single day.
Do some exercises and set yourself up with a proper wind-down routine several hours before you go to bed to help you. If in doubt use technology like smart speakers and friends to help you.
You could even try investing in weekly massages if you have the budget for them.
If you are interested in learning more about how to get more deep sleep naturally then be sure to check out the rest of our site.
