Want Better Quality Sleep? Avoid These 5 Mistakes

Looking for better quality sleep? Here’s 5 Mistakes to Avoid.

The majority of us experience poor sleep from time to time. If we’re lucky it may only be for a couple of nights, but some people have poor or unrefreshing sleep nearly all the time. So how can we all have better quality sleep? Here’s 5 things NOT to do!

Avoid sleeping late on the weekend —

It’s so tempting isn’t it? After all we don’t have to leap out of bed and catch a train. But please resist the temptation to sleep in on weekends. You’ll upset your circadian rhythm (body clock) and your sleep pattern will be disrupted.

Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day maintains a healthy circadian rhythm. It’s one of the most important habits to acquire for a better night’s sleep.

Make sure you have something interesting planned for the weekend so you’ll want to get up early.

Don’t drink before bed, it’ll wake you up later —

But doesn’t alcohol help you relax and go to sleep? Well, yes that’s true. The trouble is it also wakes you up a few hours later as it metabolizes in the body. Limit yourself to one drink with dinner if you can

Working on your computer just before bed will wake up your brain  —

We get so busy sometimes that we have to squeeze things in where we can and before bed seems like an ideal time. But did you know that working on your computer, or even surfing late at night can speed up brainwave activity. Staring at the bright computer screen can affect your sleep rhythm for the night. Save computer tasks for the next morning, you’ll be more alert and will probably get thing done a lot quicker.

 Don’t lie in bed and worry about everything  —

Easier said than done I realize. This was one of the things that always used to keep me awake when I was dealing with insomnia. During the day our thoughts are occupied with our daily activities, but as soon as we get into bed it seems to trigger the worry button and out thoughts come streaming into our minds, keeping us awake for hours. Id you’re a dedicated worrier like me, you’ll find something to worry about even when things are going well!

The best anti-worry strategy is to create a worry time – say 20 minutes – before bed. Spend this time worrying solid about anything and everything. Write the worries down in a journal and declare, “I will worry about this tomorrow”. You’ll be amazed how well this works.

Wait until you’re feeling sleepy before turning off the light —

It’s worth spending some time winding down before trying to sleep. Either by doing some slow breathing or reading for a while. Some people find reading in bed keeps them awake while others find it helps them sleep. Try it to see how it works for you.

Hopefully knowing about these 5 mistakes will improve your bedtime habits and help you get the better quality sleep you need.