Time and time again, everyone tells you to get more sleep because it’s essential to your well-being. That being said, time and time again you fail, and that’s okay because you’re not alone. About only 49% of people report feeling satisfied after they sleep and 1 out of 3 people do not get enough sleep.
The picture-perfect sleep is 7-8 hours, and to be quite frank that is not the case for a good majority of people, including myself. However, we need sleep! Just as much as we need to breathe and to have blood circulate throughout our body. Sleep is the body’s prime time to restore and heal. While you’re sleeping, your immune system is working hard at producing antibodies and fighting off certain bacteria and diseases. Even though we may take sleep for granted, it can and will eventually catch up to us with negative effects such as memory issues and a weakened immune system
There are countless amount of reasons as to why you may not be getting the best deep sleep for the time that your body needs. These can be because of the people you live with, your environment, the temperature, the lighting, or even just the comfort of your own bed. Down below is a list of products recommended by sleep experts themselves on getting a night of better sleep:
More often than not, I find myself tossing and turning a lot in my sleep because my temperature needs fluctuate all the time. One minute I’m cold and the next I’m overheating and cannot fall asleep because it is all I can think about. One of the best feelings is when you flip your pillow to the cold side that you have not been lying your head on for the past hour or so. Why does this provide such a great amount of relief and satisfaction to people at night? Naturally, when your body falls asleep at night, your body temperature drops about 1-2 degrees (due to less light exposure), this tells your body it is time to rest. This pillow is made with gel-infused memory foam and a microfiber fill interior for optimal coolness throughout the night.
Personally, I have found this to be the best solution for when I am sleeping with different people such as family or friends are sleeping in the same room as me. I cannot sleep with just pure silence, some white noise has to be on, whether that be a fan, the air conditioner, a humidifier, or even the TV. If no white noise is on, I find myself overthinking more and having trouble relaxing. This white noise machine is super affordable and comes with 6 different sound settings: Rain, Brook, Ocean, Thunder, White Noise, and Summer Night.
Blue light emits from all of your technological devices. This light blocks your body’s melatonin levels from rising and also causes headaches. This is why people recommend you to not be on your phone right before you go to bed or to not look at any tech devices an hour before you sleep. “A 2017 study done by the University of Houston found that participants wearing the glasses showed about a 58% increase in their nighttime melatonin levels” (Ralph Ellis 1). Blue light glasses essentially block the amount of Blue light going into your eyes. You can either buy a pair of nonprescription blue light glasses or you can get a prescription one. If you find that you’re on your phone or on any tech devices right before you sleep and you’re not getting the best sleep, give it a try!
References:
Ellis, Ralph. “Pandemic Screen Time: Will Blue Light Glasses Help?” WebMD, 15 Jan. 2021, www.webmd.com/lung/news/20210115/do-blue-light-glasses-work.
mpr5679 April 15, 2021
I really liked these suggestions. I know I also find myself feeling too warm when trying to fall asleep, and I have found that a fan covers both the temperature difference that the cooling pillow does as well as the white noise. I know you suggested a fan being a source of white noise but I think it also works as a cooling aspect. I also like to have lots of blankets on my bed for increased comfort, which can get very warm and a fan helps combat that warmer temperature.
anb6019 April 15, 2021
Sleep, as much as its importance is highlighted by medical professionals, is typically ignored. While most adolescents and adults should be getting somewhere in the range of seven to ten hours of sleep a night, to fully immerse a person in the REM cycle, many find themselves struggling to get even five hours of sleep. It is quite sad to here, but Western industrial mindset and mindset of more developed countries around the world is to focus on work and that taking eight hours to sleep everyday is more hours lost from working. I can attest to the fact that on average I get about three to six hours of sleep a night, sometimes a lucky seven hours on the weekend, which has thrown off my circadian rhythm by a longshot. However, it is partially my fault in staying on the phone late at night, continuously stimulating my brain from the screen’s blue light. Your strategies in getting better sleep, for a better mind and body, are extremely helpful. I already have the blue light film put on my prescription reading glasses, but I might have to look into the white noise machine, as I can only sleep with noise going on around me. Hopefully, employers and school administration fully understand the significance sleeping holds for an overall better wellbeing, so that people can begin to get the recommended amount, which will make them work better. Amazing post!
Sophia April 27, 2021
This was really interesting! Sometimes I find myself having trouble falling asleep (especially when I’m stressed), so I’ll keep these tips in mind. I do tend to use my phone before going to sleep pretty much every night…so I should probably stop doing that.
Ben Doyle April 27, 2021
I think that these are all good ideas for helping to capitalize on sleep. As a student and athlete, I have become very familiar with the importance of sleep in my life, as it makes me feel 100x better the more sleep I get. I use blue light glasses and I think that it has helped to make sure that my eyes aren’t as strained after a long day of working on a computer, especially since most of our school is virtual right now. Also, I take melatonin supplements to help me to fall asleep at night as it also helps if you are someone who deals with anxiety or racing thoughts when you are trying to fall asleep.