Believe it or not, poor sleep is common among many adults living in the United States. In fact, it’s been estimated that 1 in 3 adults suffer from inadequate sleep. And this is typically associated with getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night, or from interrupted sleep throughout the night.
If you’re having difficulty falling back to sleep upon waking, or if you wake yourself up by snoring, this can also be a precursor for a more serious condition.
Many people suffer from serious sleep disorders as well such as sleep apnea. And this is a serious condition that can be life-threatening if left untreated. But thankfully, there are several remedies that you can choose from if you suffer from poor sleep, or from a serious sleep disorder.
Here, we’ll explore a few ways that you can facilitate a better night’s sleep. And this could be as simple as changing your environment, or your sleeping position.
Remedies for Sleep Apnea
You should note that if you believe that you may have sleep apnea, you should get a proper medical evaluation immediately. Because you may need the assistance of oral sleep devices.
For sleep apnea sufferers, continuous positive airway pressure devices, otherwise commonly known as CPAP machines, are commonly prescribed for sleep apnea patients. But these devices can be extremely uncomfortable and hard to get used to.
Additionally, some manufacturers of CPAP machines, such as Philips Respironics, have issued recalls of their CPAP devices due to the deterioration of sound abatement foam that can cause significant health concerns with sleep apnea patients including cancer and respiratory illnesses.
However, if you suffer from sleep apnea, you may consider trying the following natural remedies:
- Increased daily activity
- Sleeping on your side (instead of on your back)
- Yoga (or any other breathing exercises)
- Avoiding alcohol or smoking
- Eating a balanced diet
- Proper daily exercise
- Using a humidifier
As mentioned, ensure that you check with your doctor before attempting to remedy your sleep apnea symptoms. And always consult with a physician to be sure that you’re healthy enough for any daily activity or exercise regimen.
Changing Your Environment
Where we sleep has a huge effect on the quality of rest that we’re able to get each night. And if your bedroom could use a little TLC, if you’re not getting proper rest at night, this may be a simple solution.
A bedroom makeover can introduce a more calming and soothing environment with the right placement of furniture, the right colors, and better lighting. And you may be surprised at how well these modifications can help you to get a better night’s rest.
Lighting actually plays a huge role in our ability to fall asleep, as melatonin responds to light. Basically, too much light can make it difficult to fall asleep. As such, darkening your room a bit, or using softer lighting can help tremendously.
In addition to lighting, the colors of your walls can also play a role in getting a proper night’s rest. Correspondingly, using muted colors such as pale blues, slate, soft pastels, or neutral colors that calm the eye can have a great effect on your sleep environment.
Daily Schedule
Adjusting your daily schedule can also significantly improve your overall quality of sleep. But depending on your work schedule, you may have to be a little bit creative.
It’s more common for those who wake up early in the morning to go to bed earlier at night. But after some time, this routine may become ineffective for adequate sleep. As such, a schedule makeover may be in order.
Even if you adjust your hours by a little bit each day, this can have dramatic effects on your sleep routine. For example, if you typically go to bed at 10:00 PM, consider staying up an hour later and push your morning routine back by about 30 minutes as well.
Believe it or not, even changes as small as this can greatly improve the amount of rest you get each night. Though if you have an odd work schedule such as those who work the graveyard shift, you may try a split sleep schedule where you sleep short intervals in between shifts. Regardless, the key is to play with your schedule a bit until it fits just right.
Getting adequate sleep is fundamental to living a full life and for being able to operate at an optimal level during the day. But if you try the techniques listed here, you may find that it’s easier than you think to get quality sleep each night.
