Did you know that 50 to 70 million people suffer from a sleep disorder?1 That’s millions of people who are more prone to serious health risks, like heart disease, and behavioral side effects.
Sleep restores and rebalances your hormone production, repairs tissue, and strengthens your immune system.2 The first step to ensure that you get your much-needed rest is to identify what issues are obstructing you from sleeping in the first place. Once you know the problem areas, you can make adjustments — and we’re here to help.
Three Common Problems and Possible Solutions to Get More Sleep
Problem
Your bedroom is disorganized and not conducive to relaxation and sleep.
Solution
There’s a connection between a cluttered environment and how it can affect mentality. A clean room may result in a clear mind, in other words. Take a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to clean the space in which you sleep — store away clothing, organize your things, and maybe even make the bed!
Invest in new bedding. Old, worn out pillows can cause your head and neck to be uncomfortable when sleeping, which can disrupt your REM cycle. JUVEA pillows are crafted with healthy, rejuvenating sleep in mind. Take our Pillow Finder Quiz to be matched with your dream pillow or explore our pillow collection.
Problem
You keep your phone next to your bed and use it until your eyes cannot stay open for a second longer.3
Solution
It’s important that you give your eyes and brain a break from the LED/Blue light that is emitted from electronic devices, like your phone. Those wavelengths stimulate your brain and don’t allow your body to relax and naturally sink into a restful state. Furthermore, the alerts and notifications received during the night can interrupt your sleep cycles.
What if you use your phone as a morning alarm, like so many of us do? Perhaps you could invest in an alarm clock to act as your morning wake up call. Improved and holistically-designed alarm clocks can wake you up without the harmful temptation of Instagram, Twitter, or your email just a few feet away. Allow the alarm clock to wake you up and stash your phone away for the evening. If you want an even more natural wake up call, there are dawn simulators that will wake you up with sunlight.
Problem
Late-night snacking is leaving crumbs in my bed.
Solution
Crumbs in bed can be uncomfortable, definitely, but the late-night snack is the more manageable issue. Eating a snack right before bed can disrupt your sleep in a couple of ways. First, food gives you energy, which isn’t something you want, necessarily, when it’s bedtime. Second, late-night snacks can cause acid reflux and cause chest or stomach pains as your body attempts to digest the food.
Instead, cut off access to the pantry or fridge at least two hours before bed. Try sleepytime or chamomile tea to offset any cravings that you have late at night. Then, you can go to bed ready to sleep and feel guilt-free.
Sources:
1. http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/
2. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why
3. Ibid.