How to Wake Up Energized With Less Sleep
- Anika K
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Many people, including myself, are not morning people. We tend to be groggy and tired even when we get 8 hours of sleep. With these tips, you don't have to obsess over hours of sleep anymore! Instead, you can think about quality over quantity.
Cool Down
Many people think drinking warm milk before bed helps you sleep better. But in reality, that's not true. In fact, neurologists say cooling down before bed helps you sleep better instead.
When you are about to go to bed, your body naturally feels cooler; this is because your body cools down when it is preparing for a good night's rest. Our brain wants a cooler temperature when we are about to go to sleep.
So ultimately, to help you sleep at night, you must let your body cool down. How can you do this, you ask? Well, the first thing is to lower the temperature in your room. Lowering the temperature in your room to 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit can help your body cool down. Another great way, although this may sound contradictory, is to take a warm bath. When you take a warm bath before you sleep it enhances the process of your core body temperature cooling down.
Support not Softness
When it comes to sleep, you should prioritize support over softness. Instead of having a soft bed and pillow, you should have a firm bed and supportive pillow.
Soft beds and pillows may have your spine and head sinking into the bed and this can lead to bad spinal alignment and discomfort.
A firm bed, on the other hand, will help keep your head and spine aligned when you sleep; this improves posture and reduces back and neck pain. In turn, this helps you get a good night's rest and have you ready to focus and alert in the morning.
Ultimately, a firm bed, rather than a soft bed, will help keep your spine aligned and improve posture which will lead to comfort over time. But it is important to make sure that your bed isn't too firm to prevent further discomfort.
Mini Naps
Mini power naps during the day can help you focus and stay alert.
So what is a power nap? A power nap is a mini nap that lasts about 10-30 minutes that can help your regain energy.
Although a power nap is only for a short period of time, it can still help you regain energy because it lets you rest your mind and body without you entering into a deep sleep.
A deep sleep, which your body attains after about 30 minutes of sleeping, can lead to something called sleep inertia after waking up. Sleep inertia is what makes you a little drowsy right after waking up from a deep sleep and can take almost an hour to wear off completely.
So next time you feel a little tired during the day, take a quick 20 minute nap to regain some energy so you stay alert and focused for the rest of it.
Technology Off
The last, and probably the most obvious, tip for getting better sleep: technology off.
When you are on your phones or other technological devices in the hour before going to sleep, it can keep you tossing and turning in bed for a long time. This is because the blue light from your screen confuses your brain to stay awake instead of calming down and going to sleep. So, try to keep from using any technological devices the hour before going to sleep to maximize your sleep.
Also, Instead of keeping your phone in your room when going to sleep, charge it in another room. This can reduce your exposure to radiation and reduce the temptation to go on your phone before bed.
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