Written by: Andrew Brooks | Program Manager at AdvantageHealth at City Center Fitness Center | AdvantageHealth Corporation
All recent studies show how much sleep we get or, more often, we don't, can play an important role in many aspects of life. The average person in America gets around 6.8 hours of sleep per night. Most experts agree that sleeping 7 - 9 hours per night is optimal for adults. Anyone under the age of 18 should be getting a minimum of 8 hours of sleep per night. But we all know it is easy to get distracted and not get to bed early enough to get the optimal amount of sleep in today's world. In this article, I want to give some insight into optimizing your nightly routine so you can fall asleep easier, sleep longer, and sleep better.
One of the first steps to falling asleep easier is to create a nightly routine. Your nightly routine can take anywhere from 5 - 60 minutes to do each night. It's up to you! Mine takes roughly 30 minutes. I like to make sure everything is ready to go in the morning, like setting out clothing, prepping snacks and lunches, and coffee, so there are fewer things to think about when I wake up. Then I shoot for no electronics 30 - 60 minutes before bed and set my room up to optimize my sleep by having blackout window curtains and a tower fan. My room has no TV, so I don't have the temptation to "watch one more episode before bed." Plus, remember no electronics 30 - 60 minutes before bed!
A bedroom that is set between 60 - 68 degrees, which is the optimal sleeping temperature range, helps you sleep longer throughout the night. This is because your body temperature needs to drop a bit before it starts sending signals that it is time to sleep. Last but not least, let's talk mattresses. First, do you have the correct mattress setup for how you like to sleep? Do you like a stiff mattress? Or a soft foam top mattress? That is all preference, so it is best to try out a couple at a mattress store or take a quick quiz online to find what best suits you! Now there are many factors when it comes to overall better sleep, and I listed a few, but I hope you gained a little knowledge from this short article!
Here are my top 5 items to sleep better:
Mattress (choose natural materials to eliminate off-gassing of toxic, petroleum-based products)
Blackout Curtains
A Tower Fan
Natural Wake Up Alarm Clock
Sleeping Eye Mask
Here’s to better sleep in 2023! -Brooks Sources
Fiorenzi, R. (2022, February 20). The Proliferation of Sleep Research. Start Sleeping. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://startsleeping.org/statistics/#:~:text=General%20Sleep%20Statistics%20Average%20Sleep%20Times%20Americans%20sleep,7%20or%20more%20hours%20of%20sleep%20at%20night.
Summer, J. (2022, April 15). Eight Health Benefits of Sleep. Sleep Foundation. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/benefits-of-sleep
(n.d.). Twelve Simple Tips to Improve Your Sleep. HealthySleep. Retrieved December 28, 2022, from http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/getting/overcoming/tips
Since 2001, Minnesota-based AdvantageHealth has been delivering award-winning employee wellbeing programs and fitness center design & management throughout the U.S.