As mentioned in the previous article, when you sleep, your body works to restore and replenish all of the energy you have expended during the day.
However, only getting quality sleep, which involves sleep hygiene, will ensure that you have all of the energy you need to take on anything that comes up the next day.
But what exactly does ‘quality sleep’ mean?
What is Sleep Hygiene?
Most of us assume if we close our eyes at night, sleep, and then wake up in the morning that that’s all there is to it. However, there are a few things you can do to make sure your body is able to optimize this restoration phase.
First off, make sure your bed is only for sleeping, so do not work while in bed. Secondly make sure any devices emitting an electromagnetic wave like your clock, phone, computer, etc. are at least four feet from your head. Third, make sure you do not have any “screen time” one hour before bed. This means do not work on the computer, watch TV or play video games before bed.
Pay attention to how long it takes you to fall asleep. If you are lying in bed for more than one hour and have not fallen asleep, get up and do something or read a book until you can fall asleep. This will help train your body to know that the bed is for sleeping – and eventually you will be asleep when your head hits the pillow.
Make sure you do not drink too much water before bed. This will help prevent you from disrupting your sleep to get up and go to the bathroom.
All of these activities stimulate your brain and interfere with your body’s ability to reach that restorative phase during sleep. Minimizing them will help ensure you get the best sleep possible and have all the energy you need for your coming day.
