According to research undertaken by The National Sleep Foundation, the average person between the ages of 18-64, requires between seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Now, during the digital age, where life is fast pace and early mornings are a regular occurrence for many, a deep slumber is not always achievable. We begin to feel the effects; whether it is visible under your eyes or emotionally draining; not getting enough sleep can bare harsh effects on our lives and bodies.
#1 How to get 8 hours sleep
Schedule
Start a schedule and allow your body to learn the cycle of when to wake up and relax. Allowing your brain to get into a routine and pattern of when you calm down for bedtime will make the whole process easier, and help you sleep through to those golden 8 hours.
Reduce Your Screentime
Have less screentime before bed. The brightness of our phones, TVs and tablets can alert our brains long after we have finished using them. Switch them out for a book or other more relaxing activities
Avoid Heavy Foods
Although a food-induced coma might tire you out, a heavy dinner or snack binge will only make it harder for you to fall asleep as your digestive system has a lot more to process. Try lighter evening meals and maybe a green tea or two.
Decaffeinate Your Afternoons
In the afternoons, avoid fizzy caffeinated drinks and coffee. You might think their effects are short-lived but your body and brain feel otherwise. Switch to decaf options in the afternoon to reduce your alertness before bed.
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Bedtime Beginnings
Start your ‘going to bed’ process earlier. Allow your body to fully relax before you shut your eyes rather than suddenly expecting to fall into a deep slumber after a hectic, pressure-filled day. Wind down with a hot drink, relaxing music or meditation.
#2 How to get up in the morning
However for those of you aren’t struggling to get to sleep but are struggling to get up, here are some tips for an easier morning...
Switch Up Your Alarm
For those of you who have emergency sounding alarms that jolt your body as they beep in the morning, this is one reason why you’re finding the mornings tough. Harsh sounding alarms only send the body into a sense of shock, startling your brain and making you feel groggier once you have awoken. Change to a subtle, increasing melody that slowly brings you round to a conscious mind. We suggest bird songs, nature hummings or soft melodies.
Stop Snoozing
Annoyingly, snoozing only worsens your attempt to get up. You’d think a few extra minutes would only better your chances of wake up feeling brighter, but really it does the opposite. Once your alarm has sounded, allow your body to wake up slowly without falling back asleep because snoozing only makes you more tired.
Don’t Reach For Your Phone
It is probably the first thing we all do. But reaching for your phone and having a bright glaring screen in front of your eyes is not helpful for an awakening brain. Give your brain time to fully wake up before checking your feeds… it's usually screentime that creates a groggy feeling in our brains.
Stretch
They say cats do it right, stretching before and after they sleep, there is something to be said for starting your day with a morning reach. Slowly waking up your body with a few twists and turns can energise your body and release any stressful thoughts about the day ahead from your mind.
#3 How To Cheat Sleep
For those who are hustling through life and are limited in your snooze-time, here are our 5 top tricks for cheating 8 hours sleep and making it look like sleep is plentiful…
