How to Improve the Quality of Your Sleep

Do you struggle to get a good night’s sleep? If so, you’re not alone. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, about 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep disorders. Unfortunately, failing to get enough high-quality sleep on a regular basis can impact your mood, impair cognitive function, and increase your risk of developing health conditions like dementia, heart disease, obesity, and strokes.

So, what can you do to help ensure that you get a good night’s rest? Here are eight tips for how to improve the quality of your sleep:

1. Wake up at the same time each morning and go to sleep at the same time each night.
2. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.
3. Incorporate exercise into your daily routine (but be careful to not exercise too close to bedtime).
4. Don't drink caffeinated beverages at least eight hours before bedtime.
5. Don’t drink alcoholic beverages or consume large meals right before going to sleep.
6. Avoid watching TV, scrolling on your phone, and using other electronics at bedtime (instead, you might want to try reading a book, listening to a book, or listening to a podcast).
7. Start and continue a bedtime routine that helps you to feel calmer and accomplished.  A bedtime routine signals your body it is time to transition to the end of the day, and to sleep.
8. Listen to meditation videos, binaural beats, singing bowls, or drumming on YouTube or an app you like. Listening to calming sounds can switch your brain from "doing" to rest mode.
9. Engage in CBT, BBT, or EFT (tapping) with your therapist to help calm anxious thoughts, which tend to keep people awake.
10. Try reiki to calm your body and mind, which can lead to deeper sleep.

Start Enjoying a Better Night’s Sleep

If you’re ready to take the next step with improving the quality of your sleep, contact us today. Our therapists and APRN's in Middlebury and Southbury CT have extensive experience treating anxiety, depression, and other conditions that can interfere with sleep. When you call, we’ll tell you more about our practice, answer your questions, and schedule a consultation at a date and time that’s convenient for you. We offer in person and tele-health visits. Knowing a busy schedule can sometimes prevent people from seeking care, we offer evening visits as late as 8 pm, accommodating various work, school, and sports schedules. Do not let a poor night's sleep continue to interrupt your life, we can help!