As critical as sleep is, it can be extremely hard for some people to get it. Whether it's because they don't know how to shut their brain off after a busy workday or they love coffee a bit too much, some people will have restless nights and rise in the morning feeling anything but refreshed. While not getting enough sleep may not seem like a big issue to some, running on less than seven hours of sleep a night can be detrimental to your health, work productivity, and wellbeing. If you find yourself struggling to sleep during the week because of work demands or copious amounts of caffeine to keep you buzzed for each meeting, take a look at these sleep tips to improve your work week.
Get Sound Sleep Throughout the Week
- Cut out caffeine late in the afternoon
Drinking caffeine up to three hours before bed is known to alter your sleep quality. Caffeine, especially high concentrations of it in the form of coffee, will take a few hours to wear off. To help you drift off to sleep faster, try to have a cut-off point. Don't drink caffeine after 3 p.m. and limit the amount of coffee, green tea, and soda you drink during the day.
- Avoid looking at screens before bed
Although you may want to watch a bit o f TV to unwind before going to sleep, doing so can hinder your overall sleep quality. Looking at a screen right before you hit the hay is known to disrupt your body's natural circadian rhythm due to the blue light that screens emit. Essentially, staring at your device's screen will make your brain believe that it's still light outside and that you should stay alert - making it that much harder to fall asleep.
- Develop a sleep routine
It's worth establishing a sleep routine so that you can naturally fall into doing it every night to help you unwind. When you don't go to bed at the same time, you're preventing your mind and body to follow its natural circadian rhythm. To help you get better sleep, go to bed at the same time each night, no matter how much sleep you got the night before. Wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This strict routine will force your body back into its natural routine.
- Move more
Sometimes, we don't feel tired and struggle to sleep because we haven't been active during the day. Your exercise routine will deeply impact the quality of your sleep. If you don't have a workout routine, aim to incorporate some exercise into your daily schedule, even if it's just a 20-minute walk. However, avoid exercising right before you go to sleep. Doing so can over-stimulate your body and mind, making you wake up.
- Write down your thoughts and to-dos
When you've had a busy day at work, your brain can feel overwhelmed. A good way to release that tension and free up your headspace is to write down your thoughts and tomorrow's important to-dos. This will people who have a lot of content coming into their thoughts as they're trying to fall asleep, like tasks and worries.
We hope that these tips help you to find better sleep throughout the work week. For many people, it will be a case or trial and error to see what works best for them. While you work on improving your sleep schedule, let the professionals handle your insurance policies. To find the right insurance to cover your needs,
contact the team at Little & Sons Insurance Services! Our dedicated team is ready to help you get the personal insurance you need.
