Always Tired? Tips to Improve Your Sleep Quality

Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep, but keep finding yourself always tired? Don’t worry because you are not alone!

The problem of always feeling sleepy can be caused by a few factors. Primarily, many fall asleep staring at a phone or laptop screen. Although these devices serve as entertainment, reading or a news source, the negative effects are real.

Another reason quality of sleep suffers may be due to your nighttime routine. Do you eat a snack before bed or exercise at night when you have more time? These are small activities, but they can impact you more than you realize.

Tip 1- Watch What You Eat

If you need a snack, try eating food higher in magnesium or contains natural occuring melatonin, but make sure you know what else is in the food. For example, dark chocolate is rich in magnesium, but high in caffeine, so the disadvantage outweighs the benefit.

Stop consuming caffeine nine hours before bedtime; because that’s how long caffeine stays in our system.  Alternatively, nighttime teas are a better option because they relax the brain as many contain melatonin. Be careful with chamomile, it relaxes the body, but not the brain.

Do not go to bed hungry because that increases the chances of waking up during the night and getting interrupted sleep.

In addition to those suggestions, avoid spicy foods right before bed. These increase your body temperature. To get quality sleep, our bodies drop our temperature which is the exact opposite of what spicy food does to us.

Tip 2- Nighttime Routine

Exercising at night tends to make you wake up more than it exhausts you. Steer clear of anything cardiovascular or weight intensive. A yoga session is a great option instead.

Meditating can also be a relaxing way to get to sleep. There are many YouTube channels or apps that can help with this.

Tip 3- Technology: Drop it Like its Hot

Screens glow a blue light that decreases our melatonin levels and this lessens the quality of our sleep. Surprisingly, this always-tired feeling can happen even if you are getting the 8 hours of sleep. So, the solution is to put the electronics down an hour or more before bed.

Tip 4- Wake Up Early

Most people set the earlier “snooze” alarm and another to wake them up on time. Even though its mentally rewarding to hit snooze and still leave the house on time, it isn’t the healthiest. Those 10-20 minutes of interrupted sleep and will leave you feeling sleepy the rest of the day because of something called sleep inertia. Ultimately, leaving you wanting more sleep.

In summary, just a few small changes between your diet and night time routine can chase away the always tired feeling. Implementing these changes may leave you feeling refreshed and ready for the next day.