Struggling With Nighttime Anxiety? Try These 5 Sleep-Boosting Habits

If you think you're the only person toiling with sleep, you are not alone here. Have you asked yourselves why I can’t sleep for hours at night, even though you have shut all the lights and prepared well to sleep? Having racing thoughts, nighttime anxiety contribute to sleepless nights. This blog is all about finding 5 significant ways for a deep sleep to put anxious thoughts off when you retire to bed. 

The Hidden Downsides of Poor Sleep and Nighttime Anxiety

Before telling you the best tips on how to fall asleep faster, let's be honest about some of the downsides. Most of the time, you miss out on a healthy sleep schedule, which is vital for being the most productive self. 

Remember, nighttime anxiety and poor sleep on a long haul will only have compounding consequences for your health. If you take too much stress, your mental health is also at risk. Increased stress will only make it quite difficult to get the sleep you deserve after a hectic day. Pressures from work or simply school life strains to personal issues can all cause you to lose your peaceful sleep. 

Undeniably, we humans can not survive without good sleep, as we can't without food and water to function in life. So keep reading about how productive changes in your daily life can prepare you for better sleep at night.

“Effects of poor sleep and nighttime anxiety on mental health and daily productivity.”

1. Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment

Your sleeping area should always welcome positive vibes. Always create a conducive environment to sleep. This will improve your sleep quality and your ability to fall asleep faster. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), minor changes can foster a sleep-friendly environment. Simply follow a few steps:

• Make your room pitch black in there. Here, blackout curtains are very useful.

• Keep noise down as much as possible, or get yourself a soundproof room.

• Make your room cool and turn down the heat.

All the above elements combined together prepare you both physically and mentally for a good night's sleep. 

2. Practice Stress Management Techniques 

By acclimating yourself to the stress management techniques, you can have increased control over the factors that cause you stress and anxiety. These techniques help you overcome issues of muscle tension and heart rate. Practice meditation and breathing exercises to slow your heart rate and give your body a reset when it enters a freak-out mode. 

Spare some time for these stress management techniques before going to bed.

• Body scan meditation

• Yoga

• Deep breathing

• Mindfulness exercise

3. Exercise Regularly 

Start your day with a kick of exercise to soothe your mind and body. The medical folks at Johns Hopkins Medicine believe regular exercise helps your mind reduce stress before bedtime, and it balances out your body. The same medical folks also establish that routine exercise will get you more easily into the slow-wave stage of sleep. When your body goes into the slow-wave stage of sleep, you will realise how rejuvenated your body and mind have become. Stay refreshed the whole day ahead!.

Now tell me, do you also ask yourself what time of day would be perfect for an exercise? Then Johns Hopkins would suggest you guys pay attention to what your body's telling you. This will help you understand how well your body sleeps when you’re getting your sweat on.

4. Avoid Stimulating Substances 

Consuming stimulating substances is the worst thing you can do to yourself, especially when you are struggling with sleep. Understand this: all such stuff can greatly mess up your sleeping schedule. What they really do is increase dopamine in your body. Now imagine getting out of your slow-wave stage of sleep. Plus, you also lose the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep and your deep dream sleep.

The pile-up of research by the University of North Carolina informs how waking up and sleeping are driven by your brain's chemicals. These chemicals really get messed up when you introduce stimulating substances, especially before bedtime. So, the stuff to avoid before bedtime is:

• Soda

• Chocolate

• Alcohol

• Coffee

Conclusion

Having a friendly sleeping schedule should never become a nightmare battle. The simple mantra is to listen to both your body and your mind. By building a serene sleep environment, moving your body, managing stress, and ditching the sleep-disrupting stimulants, you give yourself a whirl to unwind the way to the max. 

Remember, never let your thoughts have a grip on you; you should win over your thoughts. Follow these simple practices, and brighter mornings are truly ahead.