Promote a good nights rest by limiting these six habits that negatively impact your sleep quality.
Dima Berlin/Getty Images
If you find it challenging to get a good nights sleep, youre not alone.
Sleep hygiene plays a big part in ones overall health, saysDanielle Townsend, RDN, LD.
Photo:Dima Berlin/Getty Images
Your body typically needs seven to nine hours of good-quality sleep to properly restore itself.
Thankfully, many of the best sleep-promoting strategies are simple to implement in your daily life.
Learn more about the surprising habits that disrupt your sleep and how to avoid them.
Screens produce blue light, which reduces melatonin circulation, per the 2023 article.
Additionally, computers, smartphones and smartwatches often have alerts or notifications that distract from or interrupt sleep.
If thats not practical for you, even one hour before sleep can help.
Commit to limiting screens before bed by keeping your phone or computer in a different room.
Because of how the body metabolizes alcohol, it negatively affects your sleep later into the night.
Caffeineworks by acting as a nervous systemstimulant to promote wakefulness.
You may think an afternoon cup of coffee wont impact your sleep, but that isnt necessarily the case.
This means that your afternoon cup of coffee could still be impacting your quality of sleep that night.
Ironically, sleep deprivation may lead to greater reliance on caffeine throughout the day to stay awake.
This habit can feed into a cycle leading to poor sleep night after night.
Its also one of the best ways to improve sleep quality.
Exercise promotes relaxation by releasing endorphins and reducing stress.
It also plays a role in melatonin production, which is central to the sleep-wake cycle.
Plan to set aside time each day for a quick walk or another jot down of exercise.
This may mean taking a walking meeting or regularly opting for the stairs.
Any way it’s possible for you to easilymove your bodyduring the day will benefit your health and sleep.
But it doesnt take sleeping at very different hours to negatively affect your sleep.
Even small shifts in bedtime can be disruptive.
Additionally, irregular bedtime was associated with poor academic outcomes.
Aconsistent bedtimeschedule can help regulate your circadian rhythm and, therefore, improve sleep quality.
Not Getting Daylight Exposure
Spending time outsidemay not be your No.
1 priority in colder months or when your schedule is packed with work and other responsibilities.
But staying inside too much can significantly affect your sleepand not in a good way.
Exposure to daylight, especially in the morning, can help regulate the circadian rhythm.
A simple solution is to enjoy the quiet morning hours outside for a few minutes.
The Bottom Line
Sleep is often overlooked as not having a significant impact on health.
Instead, the emphasis on diet and exercise creates a missed opportunity to greatly improve well-being.
While all three components play a significant role in a healthy lifestyle, sleep shouldnt be the last priority.
Quality sleep can spill over to other areas of your life, making it easier to maintain healthy habits.
The effect will benefit all aspects of your health, not just your energy level.
