Tips that will help you sleep like a pro

A good night of sleep is essential for a productive day. I personally have a lot of difficulties falling asleep. But fortunately there are many easy ways to fix this. Through adapting a simple steps in your night routine you can assure you get a good night of sleep. And let’s be honest, we all want that.

F.Y.I : Dr. Verma is a doctor from America who specializes in sleep medication and regularly shares the best tips and tricks for a good night of sleep. In short, Dr. Verma knows it all!

YOUR LAST COFFEE

Make sure that the coffee you drink at lunch is your last dose of caffeine for the day. When you remove all the coffees that you would normally drink later that day, then there is a bigger chance that you fall asleep easier.

2 HOURS BEFORE BEDTIME

• Try not to hang too much in your bed during the day. “Use your bed only for sleep and sex”, says Verma. So read, chill and watch your series on the couch instead of your beloved bed
• Set the volume of your music and television softer.
• Choose softer yellow-ish light with lower wattage for the evening instead of using white lamps with high wattage.
• Make the light of the screen of your TV/ iPad/ or phone less bright. Screen rays with white and blue light make you stay awake by transmitting signals through your eyes to the part of your brain which regulates your sleep/wake cycle.
• Do not eat spicy food or food with lots of sugar in the night. This may also cause sleep problems. Spicy food can cause acid reflux while eating high sugar gives you an energy boost that you do not need before going to bed.

1 HOUR BEFORE BEDTIME

•  Turn all your devices off.  Although you may think that the light of your phone can not hurt your sleeping cycle, unfortunately it can.
• Stop answering (work) emails. Thinking of your giant to-do list for tomorrow or simply thinking about work certainly won’t help for a good sleep.
• Set your thermostat a bit lower when you go to sleep. The ideal temperature is between 19 and 20 degrees.
• No alcohol! You may believe that a glass of wine before bed may help, however this is not true.

• Do everything where you don’t need to use a screen for. For example, read, chat with your housemates, draw, or listen to a quiet Playlist.

 30 MINUTES BEFORE BEDTIME

• SEX! Dr. Verma recommends to have sex before bedtime because afterwards you sleep much better. And you do not necessarily need a partner. If you know what I mean.
• Go in bath. When you get off a hot bath, you always get a little cold. This results in a better night of sleep, according to Dr. Verma

WHEN YOU GET REALLY SLEEPY

• Jump into bed! When you lie in bed before you’re really tired, you will be less likely to fall asleep.
• Do not get into deep conversations. Even though it may seem like the perfect time when you are finally lying in bed with your partner after a long day: don’t do it. When you have this type of conversations your thoughts stay longer in your head and you will fall asleep less easily. Try to have this sort of conversations at dinner time instead or any other time except before bedtime.
• Lie in your favorite position. And if you don’t know what that position exactly is, then ask your bed partner. He / she will know exactly in which position you prefer to sleep and in what position you snore the loudest :D

Hopefully these tips will help you get a great night of sleep. I’m going to try them out myself anyway since I have a lot of sleeping difficulties. Let me know if you’ll try them as well and if they helped!

Source: Cosmopolitan