Your quality of sleep affects so much more than your immediate morning – it will also impact your energy and focus throughout the next day. If you’re looking to optimize your performance in life, here are some tips you can try to get a better night’s sleep:

Condition Your Room for Sleep

Humans are creatures of habit, so there is a definite downside to engaging in a variety of activities in the same location you go to sleep. For example, do you watch TV, eat dinner, or work in bed? If so, your brain may associate being in bed with excitement and dopamine or cortisol spikes. Instead, condition your room for sleep by only allowing yourself to do restful activities when in the bedroom. In time, your brain will learn that bedtime also correlates with sleep time.

Develop Triggers to Put You to Sleep

Creating an evening routine that you do before bed can help your brain get into the habit of winding down and preparing for rest. Some good habits to implement into your evening routine include not eating a few hours before bed, drinking a bedtime tea, avoiding screens before bed, and reading.

Make Your Room Dark

There is an evolutionary reason we sleep at night and are awake during the day, and it has everything to do with the sun. You can encourage your body to enter a restful state by making the room you sleep in as dark as possible which triggers your body to release melatonin, a sleep hormone.

Be Mindful of your Evening Food and Drink Habits

Just like we drink coffee in the morning to wake us up, there are certain foods and drinks that can promote sleepiness. Eating healthy fats like nuts and seeds is a good option for an evening snack that keeps us restful. Additionally, pairing your snack with a hot cup of chamomile tea, or if you’re feeling really traditional, a warm cup of milk will have you sleeping peacefully through the night.

Create Healthy Outlets for Stress

Stresses from your daily life can easily carry over into your bedtime routine if you aren’t careful, which can be detrimental to your quality of sleep. Finding healthy outlets for your stress, such as exercise, journaling, or reading, can help you release the built-up emotions and lay your head down for the night feeling in control.

Rest and recovery are important aspects of performance in every area of life, whether that be in social relationships, physical fitness, or mental wellness. Sometimes it can be challenging to pinpoint the cause of poor sleep quality, but if you take action to prioritize your sleep, it can be the best decision you make to improve your quality of life. What is a factor that can make or break your quality of sleep? Let us know by contacting us at Outrun Gravity.