5 Quick Tips for Better Sleep

Your body should feel rested in the morning when you wake up if you had a quality night’s sleep. This is because of the recovery mode your body goes through while you are sleeping. This is the time your body repairs and rejuvenates itself. It is so important to get quality sleep so you can recharge. Your body also heals itself during this time too. If you have acute pain or are experiencing back pain in your body, ensuring you get proper sleep (quality and quantity) are essential.

These five tips will help you get quality sleep so your body can heal itself, and you can feel rejuvenated when you wake.

Sleep Posture

The most critical strategy for getting better sleep is to understand your sleep posture. According to a national university study for disc hydration, the best sleeping position is on your side with a pillow between knees. The second-best sleeping position is on your back with a pillow underneath your knees. Try to avoid stomach sleeping. Sleeping on your stomach can put your lower back into an extension, which makes the foramen holes where the nerves exit get smaller and cause more low back pain and tightness. If you’re struggling with back pain, check out our low back pain guide to get rid of your back pain for good. You can find it here.

Bed Type

The preferred bed type depends on whether you are a side sleeper or a back sleeper. If you sleep on your back, you want a firm mattress. If you sleep on your side, you want a soft mattress because sleeping on your side with a firm mattress can compress the shoulder and pinch the brachial plexus causing your hands to go numb.

Supplements

• Melatonin and Valerian Root: Both of these herbs are commonly used as sleep aids. Our body naturally produces melatonin to help us sleep. Valerian Root is an herb derived from a flowering plant. The root of the plant is used as an herbal aid for many things, including relaxation and sleep.
• Magnesium- Much of the population is deficient in magnesium and do not realize it. Magnesium acts as a calming agent and can also help reduce muscle spasms and cramps, especially in the lower legs at night.
• 5-HTP- 5-Hydroxytryptophan: You may recognize the word tryptophan, which is a chemical found in turkey. That is why you may get sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner. This supplement allows you to get into a deeper sleep. The first few times you use it, it may cause vivid dreams.

Avoid Blue Light

By the end of the day, your mind may be racing from so much visual and audio stimuli that it can make it tough to go to sleep. Bright lights (specifically blue light) from the television and other electronic devices can excite the brain more, making it tough to sleep. Ideally, to calm your mind, you should read a black and white textbook, allowing your brain to relax and sleep easier. If you’ve fallen asleep reading a paper book, this may explain why. You can also try using blue light filters on your cell phone and televisions to help filter out the blue light.

Add White Noise

Disruptions often occur during the night when we sleep, such as car doors slamming, apartment neighbors being loud, etc. The quiet of the country can also keep you awake at night (those locusts can be noisy!). A white noise machine blocks out these sudden changes in noise, resulting in better sleep. They are commonly used for babies nowadays to mimic the sound of the womb, but they can be used for your whole family. You can utilize a box fan during the summer months to help with white noise and keep your room cool at night too—dual purpose!

Add these tips into your nightly routine, and you’ll find yourself sleeping better tonight! Let us know in the comments below if you already include any of these habits before you go to sleep at night.