The Sleep Foundation recommends that every person above the age of 18 get about 8 hours of sleep per night. This is true for every age category over the age of 18, as you can see here:
Young adults age 18-25 need 7-9 hours of sleep.
Adults age 26-64 need 7-9 hours of sleep.
Older adults age 65+ need 7-8 hours of sleep.
But in a world where there is always more to do, we rarely get enough sleep. We’re too busy relaxing with family, or finishing work, or hanging out online. It’s well-known that sleep is important for human health, so here are our top five tips for getting better sleep - starting tonight!
1. Put Down The Electronics.
We know, we know. It can seem impossible to get off our phones, stay away from our tablets, and lose our laptops. Particularly in a world that is always moving.
But electronics keep our attention and suppress sleep chemicals in our body. In the end, if we want better sleep, the electronics have got to go. Or at least, they need to be put away at least an hour before bed.
2. Make A Bedtime Routine
Every day we go through routines. We have a morning routine, a work routine... we even have routines to help us relax when we need to. So why don’t we always have a night routine?
One of the most important things we can do to get better sleep is go to bed at the same time every night. Make a routine for yourself. Read for an hour, brush your teeth, wash your face, turn out the lights, and then go to bed.
Whatever the routine is, having some bedtime consistency has been shown to make it easier to go to sleep and stay asleep longer.
3. Make Your Bedroom A Cave
Look, we know it sounds funny, but it’s true. The human body has been conditioned over a long, long time to prefer sleeping in particular conditions.
When we sleep, our bodies cool down. Because of this, a cooler room encourages our body to cool, and this helps us get to sleep. We’re also not good at sleeping with a lot of noise around us. And of course, our bodies likes to sleep in the dark. So the more cave-like you are able to keep your bedroom, the easier it will be for your body to adapt to sleeping.
4. Keep Your Hands And Feet Warm
If your hands or feet are often cold, warm them up! Warming our hands and feet helps blood move through the body, which helps us get a good night's sleep.
When it gets cold outside, add another blanket, or turn off the AC. If you think the cold is keeping you awake, you may be right. Trust your body.
(And if you're one of those people who enjoys sleeping with their socks on, we aren't judging.)
5. Put Sleep On Your Schedule
There are very few things as important to your health as getting enough sleep every night. Because of that, we should schedule sleep every nightjust as we schedule everything else.
If we only go to sleep after we finish the day's work, we may never get to sleep. When it is time to begin your bedtime routine, put everything down, and go to bed.
We promise the work will wait until tomorrow. Your body will not.
And if you're looking for a little extra support to help your muscles relax and your brain to start producing serotonin, we highly recommend checking out
Lifetones Sleep Support!
