Whether you’re stressed about sleep or so stressed you can’t sleep, these strategies can help.
With everything going on it’s not surprising that more and more people are dealing with stress and anxiety. More than one-third of Americans say that coronavirus is having a serious impact on their mental health, and the majority feel that it’s impacting their daily lives. We know that these are strange, unpredictable times, but our Bradenton, FL, sleep medicine doctor, Dr. Jeremy McConnell, also knows just how important sleep is for your health and wellbeing.
Here are some ways to improve the quality of your sleep even if you’re feeling stressed out:
Adopt Good Sleep Hygiene
You’ve probably heard the term “sleep hygiene” mentioned quite often these days. Good sleep hygiene means following a routine in which you go to bed around the same time each night and wake up the same time each day, regardless of what day it is. Other sleep hygiene habits that can improve sleep include:
- Shutting down electronics about one hour before bed
- Adopting a calming bedtime ritual such as reading a book or relaxing in the tub
- Making sure your room is the optimal temperature for sleeping (between 60- and 67-degrees F)
- Limiting naps to no more than 30 minutes
- Avoiding large meals or snacks before bed, which can also disrupt sleep
- Avoiding caffeine for about 4-6 hours before bedtime
- Limiting alcohol consumption and abstaining within three hours of going to bed
Try Meditation
Stress can make it more challenging to obtain quality sleep each night, which can also just add to our stress. The last thing we want is for you to experience stress around going to bed each night. Mindfulness meditation has been highly effective in helping anxious and stress-prone people get better sleep. Even just small amounts of meditation each day can help to calm our anxious, racing thoughts and improve our sleep.
Regularly Exercise
Participating in some form of physical activity the majority of the week can help to ease anxiety, stress, and depression, as well as improve wellbeing and sleep. Even something as simple as a 30-minute run could help to reduce stress and improve sleep quality. Afternoon aerobic workouts have been shown to help with insomnia and also help people fall asleep faster.
If you are battling sleepless nights, know that the team at Florida Sleep Specialists in Bradenton and Sarasota, FL, is here to help. Let us help you obtain the quality sleep you deserve—call us at (941) 792-8383.