These 5 Unique Tricks for Better Sleep Health Will Help You Rest Easy

Are you someone who struggles with sleep? I am. I used to sleep really well when I was younger, and I didn’t need any sleep aids. Now, I’m lucky if I can stay asleep through the night and luckier still if I can fall asleep at a reasonable hour.

But there’s hope, coming straight to you in the form of a few easy design and lifestyle adjustments. Change the furniture around, add some white, pink, or brown noise depending on your preference, substitute that afternoon coffee with a brisk walk or other physical activity, and I’ll be surprised if you’re not sleeping like a baby (or at least like a twenty year old). You might be familiar with some of these sleep health hacks, but others could surprise you.

If you’re someone who has trouble sleeping, here are a few simple, surprising sleep health hacks to make sure you fall (and stay) asleep throughout the night and wake up feeling refreshed.

What is the meaning of sleep health?

The term “sleep health” may sound strange at first, but it’s an important term to understand. According to the Sleep Research Society, sleep health is a multidimensional pattern of sleep-wakefulness, adapted to individual, social, and environmental demands, that promotes physical and mental well-being.

Sleep health has become a hot topic for a reason: As we age, it’s harder to sleep soundly through the night. If we aren’t able to do this it can affect all aspects of our lives, including our mental, physical, and emotional health.

How can I improve my sleep?

Now that we know what sleep health means, how exactly can we go about getting it? What is the right kind of sleep, and how can we make sure we are getting enough? Here are some traditional, common sense rules to follow if you struggle with sleep health:

• Eat dinner early. Eating right before bed can not only lead to weight gain, but health issues like GERD. The more time you put between your last meal or snack of the evening and your bedtime, the better.
• Rearrange your room. This means remove all clutter — including electronics — and making sure you’re not using the floor underneath your bed or your nightstand as a storage space.
• Keep it cool. Sleep experts say the ideal temperature for sleeping is 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Whether you like fresh air from an open window or breeze from a ceiling fan, make sure you’re comfortable.
• Noises on. Noises come in different colors: White, pink, and brown noise are the most common. White noise, one of the therapies recommended for tinnitus, is a mix of low and high frequencies, sounds similar to a waterfall. Pink noise is mostly low frequency and mimics the sound of rain falling. Brown noise, the deepest of the three, has no high frequency and sounds like a low-pitched rumble of thunder or ocean waves.
• Go with the best bedding. The best bedding for good sleep health is 100 percent cotton. Cotton and polyester or other blended fabrics tend to pill and aren’t as soft.

Who knew that sleeping well could be so easy? With these hacks, your bedroom can become your sanctuary. Sleep tight!