Getting a good night's sleep is a crucial factor in your overall health and lifestyle. If you don't get enough of it, then it's time to learn how to fix sleep schedule and ensure that you have the energy and mental clarity for the days ahead. Wondering where to start? Read on as I show you a complete guide to creating the best schedule to improve your sleep hygiene tonight!
Why Aren't You Getting Quality Sleep?
You're probably wondering: Why can't you sleep correctly in the first place? Here are the common reasons why your sleep schedule isn't the best:
Do you usually stay up late watching television or fight your sleep because of a paper due the next day? When you sleep late and wake up early or later during the day, it ends up with a confused body clock that would make it difficult for it to know when to sleep naturally!
You Aren't Getting Enough Sleep
This is an apparent reason why your sleep hygiene is out of whack. If you aren't getting enough sleep, then you won't be able to rest quickly. If you're always sleeping late and waking up early or waking up in the middle of the night, then your sleeping schedule will be confusing!
Poor Sleeping Environment
Do you always have a gadget nearby before you sleep or keep the light on? Or is your bedroom cluttered and too hot or cold for your comfort? This may be reasons why you aren't able to sleep properly at night, too!
Underlying Disorders
If you feel like you've been trying your best to fall asleep in a pleasant environment, then it might be an underlying sleeping disorder such as insomnia or sleep apnea, which you have to get checked with your doctor.
The Consequences Of Insomnia
What happens if ever you don't get enough sleep? It isn't only just about your energy levels, but your sleep schedule takes a toll as well! Here are some of the consequences you'll experience:
When you try to fall asleep, you have a weird feeling, may it be stress, anxiety, or any physical symptoms. This is because your body isn't used to any sleeping schedule, which makes it confused as to when it should be asleep.
Naturally, when you lack quality sleep, it would result in your body waking up without any energy at all. You feel tired the whole day and lack any mental and physical clarity. There's no concentration, will to move, and you're even grumpy!
When you don't have enough sleep, you usually wake up feeling exhausted and as if it wasn't enough rest, to begin with. This is the opposite of what you should be feeling in the morning!
Interrupted Sleep
Because your body isn't accustomed to any sleep schedule, it won't know when it should sleep or the amount of time it needs to stay energized. Because of this, you end up waking up at random times throughout the night.
These may seem like minor consequences people can deal with but once you get used to it for the long-term, you'll end up facing even worse symptoms. That's why it's crucial to create a sleeping schedule and stay consistent with it to avoid experiencing any discomfort.
The Complete How-To On How To Fix Sleep Schedule
When you want to know how to fix sleep schedule, there are four simple and effective significant steps:
1
Learning About Your Body
Before actually creating your sleep schedule, you must learn about what your body both wants and needs regarding sleep. This means figuring out two things: How long it takes for your body to fall asleep and the amount of sleep your body needs. Through learning about this, you'll be able to adjust your sleeping schedule and allow time to fall asleep to get the right amount of hours your body needs to be energized.
Ask yourself about the type of sleep schedule you'd like to follow and what you need to adjust when it comes to your sleep today.
To give you more information, our bodies would usually take 20 on average to fall asleep. Furthermore, we require around seven to nine hours of sleep a day, the exact amount depending on what our body wants.
For me, the best sleeping schedule is between 11 PM to 6 AM, which can be adjusted according to your needs (such as your work or school schedule, as well as leeway time needed to fall asleep).
This is the foundation of your schedule. The next steps are to stay consistent and to learn how to monitor to figure out what your body needs based on experience.
2
Following Your Body
#. Reducing Stress Before You Sleep
One of the main reasons why people aren't able to fall asleep is because of the stress and anxiety they feel when in bed! To help reduce that feeling, it's best to follow a relaxing routine, such as taking a hot bath or breathing exercises before going to bed. Additionally, you'll want to remove any form of gadgets such as phones or televisions, which can stress you out more. The blue light can also decrease the melatonin production needed for you to sleep quickly.
#. Only Going To Bed When Sleepy
Do not use your bedroom as an entertainment center or a place to lounge when bored. Just stay in bed once you feel sleepy, so your body will know that when you're in it, it's time for some shuteye. If you do like having the silent sanctuary in your bedroom, I recommend that you have a separate chair or a desk for work and relaxing. Again, the bed is a place for sleeping, nothing else!
#. Reading A Book
Did you know that reading a relaxing and inspirational book can help lull yourself to sleep? It's not the best to go for horror or suspense novels that keep you up at night, but instead, books on how to fall asleep or short stories, which entertain and relax you enough to reach dreamland. If you don't like reading books, audiobooks or soft music (like white noise, classical music, or nature sounds) work great.
#. Meditation
Meditation is a fantastic way to be in touch with your inner self. Furthermore, it's an excellent way to relax and find yourself ready to rest. This is because meditation provides the positive energy your body needs, freeing itself from any negatives of the day. With the silence or soothing music and leveled breathing, you'll be able to have a quality sleep within minutes. You can find meditation tutorials and videos to follow online.
#. If You Don't Fall Asleep...
Some people don't feel sleepy even when it's their scheduled bedtime. Or worse, also when you do want to sleep, you stay wide-awake. If ever this happens, it's best to get out of bed. If half an hour has already passed, get up and visit another room for a few minutes before you try sleeping again. Don't allow yourself to suffer from stress or worry from lack of sleep. You may want to repeat your relaxing bedtime routine instead.
3
Invest In Anything To Adjust Your Sleep Schedule
When you're adjusting your sleep schedule, it's best to invest or install practical tools to help you out.
Whichever item or app you need, we provide the best information at ASleepyWolf to ensure that you get the right one suitable for you.
4
Keeping a Sleep Diary
Did you know that having a sleep journal can help you figure out what your body needs? You'll be able to adjust your schedule to see what works and how many hours you need. Jot down how many hours you sleep, and the exact time you rest and wake up. You'll be able to get back to the previous weeks to see how many hours you sleep per night and what makes you feel great. If you want, you can also jot down what you think after the day, so you know if the schedule was right for you.
Next Step: Focus On A Healthier Lifestyle!
Yes, you also have to look after your lifestyle as well if you want to get right sleep! Here are some tips to help you improve both your sleep and health:
Eating and Drinking Right
It's time to start eating clean for the sake of your rest! Begin by focusing more on fruits and vegetables filled with a ton of vitamins and minerals which help your quality of sleep. Avoid processed sugars, chemicals, and alcohol, which can have you feel slug during the day or when you get up in the morning.
And take note that it isn't only about eating and drinking clean but also at the right time! I recommend that you take your last meal three to four hours before you sleep to avoid indigestion and heartburn, which can have you feel discomfort. If you do feel squeamish, having a small snack like a glass of milk or a small banana before bed can help you stay satiated and get you better sleep.
Get Better Sleep and Go Under the Sun
Did you know that the best way to get better sleep is to start exercising under the morning sun? Research shows that sleep quality is affected by the amount of sun we get. Those who had more exposure to morning sun have slept significantly better compared to those who did not.
This is because melatonin, the sleep hormone, is significantly higher when you exercise under the sun. The light regulars your body clock and keeps in on track. Furthermore, exercise burns calories while warming your body, which spreads energy throughout the day and cools you down for quality sleep in the evening.
If your body is too tired from the workload or stress, then taking short naps throughout the day is permitted. It gives you a jumpstart and has you feel more energized for whatever's to come. Take note that you should not take naps longer than 20 minutes. Remember, avoid long sleep as it makes you feel groggy!
Improving Your Sleep Schedule
When you have already fixed your sleep schedule, then you need to ensure that you stick to it for long-term. Your bedtime shouldn't be something you hope will happen based on your other priorities but it should be a commitment you keep, without anything invading that time (just like work or school!). Here are some things to take note of:
Getting Rid Of Bad Habits
While there may be some exceptions in tweaking your sleep schedule every not and then, there are somethings you should change to avoid it from eating your sleep time.
Practice Waking Up Without An Alarm
Once you fix your sleeping schedule, it's time to start trusting your body clock and wake up without the use of an alarm. Getting up early and not depending an alarm will help protect your sleep schedule because you know that your body is getting the natural sleep it needs for the day ahead.
Instead of waking up with loud alarms, you can try a wake-up light. Here at ASleepyWolf, we recommend these types of alarms because it has you wake up naturally without the booming disturbance.
If All Else Fails…
If there is nothing else that works in keeping you asleep, then it may be a sleeping disorder that you need to address. I recommend that you get help from a doctor if you haven't noticed any significant improvements in your sleeping. A health professional will be able to prescribe you medicine or treatment to help you out.
Bonus: The Rule 4-7-8
But wait, there's more! If you're having trouble sleeping quickly, there's one proven breathing exercise that has helped millions. It doesn't only lull you to sleep but gets you quality rest in just one minute! This is called the Rule 4-7-8, a kind of breathing exercise that focuses on both the time and quality of your breath.
To learn more about how the Tule 4-7-8 works and how to do it, check this helpful video out:
Wrapping It Up
Getting a proper sleep schedule doesn't only fix your energy, but it will also help your overall lifestyle! You'll have more time allotted for your exercise, better mental clarity for work, and even a better appetite without the cravings. Through following the proper methods of achieving excellent sleep hygiene, your whole life will improve, from your mental to physical health!
Hopefully, this article on how to fix sleep schedule gave you an idea of how you can begin getting quality shuteye today. So don't wait any longer and start utilizing any of these tips tonight!
For those who have any questions or would like to share their tips and experiences, then do comment. I would love to hear what you have to think!