Want to learn how to stay asleep longer? Stellar Sleep has seven tips and tricks to help you get longer, more restful sleep.
Does it feel like your alarm is going off just as soon as you close your eyes? Are you waking up feeling like you didnโt get any sleep at all? While people often focus on the quality of their sleep over the quantity, itโs a combination of the two that really matters.ย
Finding ways to extend the amount of sleep youโre getting every night, especially if you have trouble falling or staying asleep, can work wonders for how rested and refreshed your sleep can be. Here are seven of our favorite tips and tricks on how to stay asleep longer.
Once you know whatโs causing you to struggle with your sleep, you can focus on using that information to improve your sleep using some of these top tips. However, none of these tips will work in isolation โ fixing an unsatisfactory sleep routine requires a well-rounded approach.ย
Although good sleep hygiene isnโt a โcureโ for sleep issues, it can help set the stage for better sleep โ especially when itโs combined with effective sleep psychology tools. But what exactly is sleep hygiene?
Sleep hygiene is a catch-all term for the habits that involve your sleep schedule and routine. These can all impact the duration and quality of your sleep, so itโs important to start here when trying to pinpoint the cause of your sleep troubles.
Sleep hygiene can include factors like:
When you can improve your sleep habits, you can also find ways to get a good nightโs sleep.ย
For people with occasional trouble sleeping โ especially due to temporary factors like stress, jet lag, and muscle soreness after a heavy workout โ over-the-counter sleep aids and supplements may provide some support.
Consider melatonin, for example. Under normal circumstances, the brain produces the hormone melatonin in response to darkness. However, when your bedtime routine is disrupted, it can impact how much of that sleep hormone is released into the body.ย
Ultimately, this imbalance can lead to issues with your circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle). Giving your body the melatonin it needs to trigger more restful sleep can help you get over the hump and reset your internal clock.
However, sleep aids alone canโt โfixโ your sleep problems, and many of them shouldnโt be used long-term without the supervision of a medical professional.
Stress doesnโt just impact us when weโre awake and conscious โ it can also significantly affect the length and quality of our sleep. One of the primary hormones behind stressโs ability to influence the body is cortisol, which is also part of the bodyโs fight or flight system.ย
When more cortisol is in your body, thereโs also a higher likelihood that youโll experience side effects like high blood pressure, weight gain, and sleep problems. Managing any stress in your life is key for not just getting longer sleep, but also staying physically and mentally healthy.ย
Everyone handles stress differently, so there isnโt a specific formula to follow to get it under control. One thing you can do is take an honest look at the factors causing stress in your life and then make a plan to address them. For many people, practicing even a few minutes of mindfulness meditation daily can be enough to reduce stress.
Sleep and physical activity go hand-in-hand, but they are also two factors that Americans tend to put low on their priority lists. People who incorporate regular exercise into their routine are more likely to get better sleep if they exercise at the right time of day.ย
However, you may want to avoid working out in the 90 minutes before you go to bed. This can help keep the adrenaline and endorphins from interacting with your ability to fall asleep.
You might know that eating a well-balanced diet can help you maintain a healthy weight, but what you put in your body can also play a role in your sleep schedule. Focus on getting plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, a moderate amount of lean meat (like chicken or turkey) or plant-based proteins, and a variety of whole grains.ย
Hidden sources of caffeine, like chocolate or tea, can also work against you when youโre trying to fall asleep. Make sure to also drink plenty of water and stop drinking anything with caffeine after noon.
Psychology isnโt just something that happens in an office somewhere, and itโs not just focused on mental health. In fact, there are many different areas of psychology.
Sleep psychology is one branch that exclusively studies the factors that impact the quality and quantity of sleep. Cognitive behavioral therapy therapists who focus on insomnia (also known as CBT-I coaches) are an excellent resource for people looking to evaluate their sleep psychology and improve their health and well-being.ย
Although psychology does play a large part in your sleep patterns, physical issues can also impact your ability to get restorative, healthy sleep. Many of those physical issues (like heartburn or reflux and restless leg syndrome) are best when diagnosed and managed by a health professional.ย
Other issues, like sleep apnea, require the assistance of a sleep professional and potentially even a prescription for a CPAP machine. If youโve made changes to improve your sleep and havenโt seen any benefit, or if you suspect youโre dealing with a medical issue, itโs best to schedule yourself an appointment with your primary healthcare provider.ย
There are many reasons you could be having trouble sleeping, including physical and mental causes.ย
These can include:
Part of identifying your triggers starts by evaluating the part of your sleep cycle that is being impacted โ are you struggling with falling asleep at night, or do you fall asleep easily but have frequent awakenings in the middle of the night? Once you have a starting point, you and your sleep professional can follow the thread to figure out the root cause.
Thereโs no โmagicโ amount of sleep to aim for โ everyone needs different amounts to feel well-rested when they wake up. For example, children require more sleep than adults because their bodies are still growing and developing.ย
For many adults, seven hours is enough sleep, although that number changes depending on your circumstances. However, people who are healing from an illness or who are dealing with chronic physical or mental health conditions often require more sleep.
Sleep involves two fundamental components โ duration and quality. Sleep duration is another way to say the length of the sleep youโre getting, while sleep quality is how โgoodโ that sleep is.ย
Itโs possible to get a full seven hours of sleep and not wake up feeling well-rested if your sleep is of poor quality. The opposite is also true โ six hours of high-quality sleep will feel more restful than seven hours of lower-quality sleep.
If youโre trying to stay asleep for longer, the first thing to do is evaluate your sleep and pinpoint the cause of your sleep troubles. Once youโve figured out the root cause, you can move on to using techniques like implementing sleep hygiene practices and getting exercise to address your sleep.ย
However, itโs important to note that often, there are psychological factors that can affect your sleep. In these cases, itโs important to see a sleep specialist who can help you get to the bottom of those issues.
Take our free sleep quiz to learn how you can start enjoying the quality sleep you deserve.
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Sources:
Melatonin: What You Need To Know | NCCIH
Which Is More Important for Health: Sleep Quantity or Sleep Quality? | PubMed
Cortisol on Circadian Rhythm and Its Effect on Cardiovascular System | PMC
Interrelationship between Sleep and Exercise: A Systematic Review | PMC
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