Sleep troubleshooting: Follow this 10-step guide for a long, peaceful sleep

Do you know that 31% of Indians sleep less than 7 hours and 81% of people have insomnia? Sleep is just not important for your survival but it helps in regulating your mind and body efficiently. sleep is also important because the body heals and recovers during the night. Getting a good amount of sleep can make a huge difference to our lives and our mental health. Managing our sleep can help us improve our mood. Make us more productive, and improve our concentration during the day.

It’s important to get a good routine in place and make the room as resultful as possible to help us sleep well at night. Here are a few ways to get better sleep at night.

Consistency- Try and go to sleep at a similar time each evening, if you can. This will help regulate your body clock and falling asleep easier.

Relax- Before you go to bed, taking some time out to relax will help you switch off. try to inculcate the habit of reading. You can also listen to some good podcasts or relaxing music instead of watching tv. it is always a good idea to end your day on a positive note. 

Basic exercise- Breathing exercises or keeping a diary can also help you reflect on your day, and feel more restful. Doing some gentle yoga will relax your body and mind.

Read | Always feeling sleepy? Here's what you should know about hypersomnia, its symptoms and precautions

Avoid caffeine- It’s best to avoid caffeinated or sugary drinks in our beds. Caffeine interferes with the process of falling asleep, so choose a warm milky drink or herbal tea instead. Herbal eating is known for its relaxing properties, it’s a good, soothing choice for bed.

Avoid smoking and drinking- Smoking and drinking alcohol can also have disrupted effects on your sleep, so try to avoid these when you need a good night’s rest.

Darkness- It’s also much easier to sleep in a much darker room. You can remove any excess brightness by making sure your curtains block out the light and are pulled tight or you can even wear an eye mask if that’s not possible.

Avoid gadgets- Try to make an attempt not to check your phone for an hour before bed. Limiting screentime time gives your brain a chance to get into sleep mode. You can turn off all your screens and move charging devices into another room.

Noise- It also gets hard to sleep when there’s a lot going on around you. If you live in a noisy area, you can experiment by blocking out the noise by using earbuds.

Temperature- You can always go for a nice bath before your bedtime, it will lower your body temperature which will help in getting quality sleep. You can also open your window or lower the temperature of the ac to get a faster and better sleep.

Avoid worries- If you are struggling to fall asleep at night, then get up for a few minutes and walk, and have water do something relaxing such as reading a book or listening to some soothing music. It will help you in refreshing your mind and fall asleep.