This article was written and fact checked by the team at No Bull Mattress & More.
Just the other day I was reading a magazine article that stated over half of the population are not getting enough sleep at night. I couldn’t help but come write a blog about this.
First I have to say that if you are not getting enough sleep at night it is completely your own fault. When people give excuses about why they can’t sleep they often blame it on stress. Obviously, stress does play a BIG part in one’s ability to fall asleep. However, once you are asleep stress has nothing to do with how rested you feel the next day. Hopefully, this makes sense.
Yes, we are all busy people- Most of us do not prioritize sleep like we should. Keeping that in mind here is some advice for getting the most out of the few hours that we do get:
1. Replace Your Old Bed With A New One!
It may sound a bit odd coming from a mattress salesman (clearly I want people to buy new beds.) However, take my word for it, if you replace your bed every 10 years as recommended your quality of sleep WOULD dramatically improve.
2. Get To Bed On Time
We’ve all done it, “One last episode of Grey’s Anatomy and then I will hit the hay” talking ourselves out of going to bed at a decent hour only to feel awful he next day.
Adults, should get at least 6 hours of sleep at night, but if you want to feel your best you should actually strive for 8.
Don’t believe me? Try the sleep 8 for 8 challenge. Go to bed early so that you get 8 hours of sleep for 8 days, see how you much better you feel.
3. Establish a Routine
Even if you can’t commit to 8 hours a night you can improve your quality of sleep by establishing a regular sleep routine. It is quite common for people to deprive themselves of sleep during the week and then attempt to make up for it on the weekend.
This actually can cause you more problems. The truth being that if you have a consistent amount of rest each night your body will adjust. It is a much better idea to sleep for 6 hours EVERY night then to sleep for 4 or 5 during Monday-Friday and get 12 hours on the weekend. This pattern can be rather unhealthy.
At the end of the day if your bed is comfortable, you go to bed at a reasonable hour and get a consistent amount of rest each night you can eliminate many of your common sleep troubles. Instead of complaining that you don’t get enough sleep try adopting these concepts for a few days and take note of the dramatic improvements that you will feel.
