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Getting a good night’s sleep is an essential part of staying healthy and feeling amazing on a regular basis. Tossing and turning, taking forever to fall asleep, or experiencing other sleep disruptions can make this tough to do.
It doesn’t take a ton of time and effort to sleep better. Just making some simple changes to your sleep routine can help you enjoy improved sleep quality and fewer sleep disruptions. The following tips on how to detox your sleep routine can help you sleep peacefully night after night.
Sleep Does Your Body (and Brain) a World of Good
Sleep is incredibly important for your physical and emotional health. While you sleep, your body is busy making sure your brain stays in good shape. Sleep also has a positive impact on different bodily systems, including your immune system and cardiovascular system.
What happens when you don’t get the sleep you need? According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, not getting enough sleep on a regular basis can increase your chance of developing chronic health issues. Some of these issues, such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes, can have serious health consequences.
What Can Make a Good Night’s Sleep So Hard to Get?
Knowing how to detox your sleep routine starts with understanding why you struggle to fall asleep or get enough deep sleep. This can happen for a number of reasons, ranging from stress to underlying medical conditions.
The Mayo Clinic lists some of the biggest sleep disruptors that can lead to insomnia or other sleep problems, including:
- Chronic stress or high-stress levels
- Pain or other symptoms of chronic medical conditions
- Caffeine
- Too much food before bed
- Nightshift work or travel
- Certain medications, such as antidepressants and over-the-counter pain medications
- Sleep pattern changes as you get older
Your sleep environment also plays a role in whether or not you get good-quality sleep. A comfortable sleep environment that’s cool, dark, and quiet is what you should aim for. Part of learning how to detox your sleep routine involves doing a digital detox.
Ditch the Screens with a Digital Detox for Better Sleep
Staring at a phone, tablet, laptop, or TV screen isn’t good for you when you’re trying to improve sleep quality. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that phone use for just two or three nights a week was linked to fatigue, attention problems, mood impairment, and other effects.
That same study showed that people who didn’t use their phones for at least 30 minutes before bed for four weeks had improved sleep quality and better mood and memory. It also took a shorter amount of time for these people to fall asleep.
A digital detox can help you get restorative sleep. Staying away from screens and taking other sleep cleanse steps as part of your bedtime routine helps prepare your brain for sleep. The following digital detox and sleep tips can help you accomplish this.
Unplug from electronic devices before bed
Plan on doing something that doesn’t involve looking at screens about 90 minutes before bedtime. Put your electronic devices away during this time, and consider reading a book or listening to soothing music instead.
Staring at screens right before you go to bed can make it harder for your brain to settle down. Your brain releases a sleep-regulating hormone called melatonin when it’s time to go to sleep. The light from screens on electronic devices delays the release of this hormone.
Reading a book or magazine instead of reading or doing other tasks on electronic devices helps promote healthier sleep. You’ll have an easier time falling asleep and staying asleep throughout the night.
Set your phone to “Do Not Disturb”
Your sleep detox might also work better if you turn your phone on do not disturb at night. This helps prevent your phone from interrupting your sleep if it goes off during the night. That way, you can avoid having restless nights.
If you have notifications set up and aren’t planning to put your phone on do not disturb, consider shutting those off at bedtime. This helps lower the risk of having your sleep disrupted by notifications from your email, social media, or other apps.
What about night mode filters?
Many smart phones and tablets have night mode filters available. These filters reduce blue light from your screen, which is meant to help reduce eye strain and help you fall asleep easier. Does night shift mode really work?
A 2019 study published in Sleep Journal found that these filters didn’t make any notable differences in sleep outcomes. They can still be more comfortable for your eyes when you’re using your phone or tablet at night. However, staying away from screens before bedtime is still more effective for getting restful sleep than using night mode filters.
Make your phone hard to reach
How to detox your sleep routine includes simple steps, like keeping your phone out of reach. Putting your phone in a different room entirely or placing it on a dresser where you can’t get to it easily means you’re less likely to use it at night.
If you’re in the habit of reaching for your phone on restless nights, this simple step can help. Remember that staring at your phone, even for a few minutes, can make it much harder to fall back to sleep.
Looking at your phone disrupts your body’s circadian rhythm. The blue light from the screen interrupts melatonin production, which means your brain cells think it’s time to wake up instead of falling asleep.
A 2016 sleep study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that exposure to blue light resulted in a longer time reaching melatonin onset.
Easy Changes to Make to Your Sleep Routine
In addition to digital detox, how can you make sure you get the best restorative sleep? Your sleep habits have a lot to do with how well-rested you feel. Changing your sleep habits and adopting a consistent sleep schedule can go a long way toward boosting sleep quality.
Do a bit of stretching
You might know that doing a vigorous workout close to bedtime isn’t a good idea, since it stimulates your body. However, some light stretching can be a great way to get a good night’s rest. Stretching for about 10 minutes can have a calming effect on your body that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.
Limit light
Too much light makes it harder for melatonin production to happen. For a better night’s sleep, keep your room dark. Hang curtains or blinds on windows, so you can block out the sun. And use a sleep mask to completely block out any light. You already know to put electronic devices away, so you won’t be exposed to light from screens.
Keep things quiet
Some soothing music is fine to have in your room at bedtime, but keep noise levels lower overall. If outside noises are making you sleep-deprived, consider a white noise machine to block out these sounds.
Drink some herbal tea
Coffee and other caffeinated drinks can lead to restless nights. Herbal tea has the opposite effect, though. Drinking a hot cup of herbal tea, such as chamomile tea, as part of your evening routine can have a calming effect on your body.
Eat light and healthy in the evening
Having a big meal filled with processed foods or junk food can make it harder to fall asleep and get a good night’s rest. Have a nutritious meal or light snack instead, such as a banana or some walnuts.
Try an early bedtime
Staying up too late, especially when you need to get up early, can lead to poor sleep. Consider going to bed earlier on a regular basis, so that you’re getting enough sleep. Keep in mind that sticking to the same times for going to bed and waking up is a key part of how to detox your sleep routine.
Be Consistent for a Better Sleep Routine
Out of all the ways to detox your sleep routine, one of the most important is having a consistent sleep schedule. A regular bedtime helps train your body and brain to fall asleep naturally, so you can increase restful slow wave sleep.
According to a 2018 sleep study published in Scientific Reports, having an irregular sleep schedule was linked to daytime sleepiness, delayed sleep, and a higher risk of health problems. Getting into the habit of going to bed and waking up at the same time is a smart and simple way to improve sleep quality.
Keep in mind that this includes weekends or days off. Instead of sleeping in, make a habit of getting up at the same time as you do on weekdays or workdays. Making your sleep schedule more regular and consistent can help you develop good sleep patterns.
Natural Solutions for Better Sleep Quality
Knowing how to detox your sleep routine can include using natural solutions rather than sleep medications. A few natural solutions that can help boost your sleep quality include the following. Here are four ideas you can try.
1) Positive affirmations
Stress management is part of getting more sleep and better quality sleep. Positive affirmations can help boost your mood and ease any anxiety you have about sleep problems. These are helpful, calming sayings, similar to mantras, that you can repeat to yourself while trying to fall asleep.
Using positive affirmations can help replace any negative thoughts that are interfering with your ability to enjoy a good night’s rest. These sayings can end up having a soothing effect on your brain at bedtime.
2) Herbal remedies
Herbal tea isn’t the only herbal remedy to try when you want restorative sleep. Melatonin supplements might help, since they contain the sleep hormone that regulates sleepiness. Talk to your healthcare provider first before taking melatonin supplements or any other supplements for sleep.
3) Regular physical activity
Exercising each day can help you sleep better at night. Try getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity regularly to boost your sleep and prevent frequent awakenings or other sleep problems. This can range from walks around the block to spin classes.
Do your workouts earlier in the day, though. Some types of exercise, such as cardio workouts, can raise your body temperature and make it tougher to fall asleep. Avoid doing these workouts later in the day.
4) Skip naps
Taking naps in the afternoon or evening means you might find yourself tossing and turning at bedtime. Avoid taking a long nap, especially later in the day, and you’ll have an easier time falling asleep.
Enhance Your Sleep with Blissy Silk Pillowcases
Remember that your sleep environment plays a big part in getting restful sleep. That means paying close attention to every part of your bedroom environment, including your bed linens. Adding Blissy Silk Pillowcases to your sleep environment is an easy way to make sure you get good quality sleep.
Blissy Silk Pillowcases are made of all-natural silk. This material has a cooling effect, which can help you avoid feeling too warm or hot during the night.
These silk pillowcases have the softest feel, so you can rest your head comfortably all night long. Instead of having restless nights on a rough pillowcase that pulls at your skin, you can get some shut-eye.
Check Out Our Pillowcase Collection
Blissy Silk Pillowcases come in all kinds of patterns and colors. Visit Blissy to browse through our available pillowcases and purchase the ideal ones to make part of your sleep routine.
