We often take sleep for granted… but as far as our health is concerned there is no alternative to getting a good night’s sleep. Waking up refreshed, energized, and ready to take on the world is the ideal feeling that we all would love to have, and our body needs it! The challenge is that in our modern society, millions of people are chronically sleep deprived. Symptomatic effects of frequent sleep deprivation include immune system failure, diabetes, cancer, obesity, depression, and memory loss just to name a few.
Below are 3 things that you can do to improve your sleep quality starting TONIGHT.
1. Get more sunlight during the day. One of the most vital things that induces great sleep is your body’s natural secretion of a hormone called melatonin. The production and secretion of melatonin is powerfully affected by light exposure. Get more light during the day, less light at night.
2. Avoid the screen. This is likely the #1 thing you can do to improve your sleep
quality immediately. The artificial “blue” light emitted by various modern electronic screens, trigger your body to produce more daytime hormones and disorient your body’s preparation for sleep. If you want to give your body the deep sleep it needs, turn off all screens a full hour before bedtime.
3. Get to bed at the right time. This is key! You can amplify the benefits of sleep by sleeping at the right hours. Research shows that humans get the most significant hormonal secretions and recovery by sleeping during the hours of 10 pm and 2 am.