Set Your New Year Sleep Resolutions! Our Top Suggestions!

It’s that time of year when people take stock of themselves, and those things that need improvement or adjustment, and convert them into resolutions for the new year. Your new year resolutions may include getting better sleep and developing more healthy sleep habits, so that you feel more alert, improve your memory and cognitive abilities, and maybe even lose a few pounds. Here are some sleep tips you might want to include in your own sleep resolutions, and help you to get great sleep in the new year.

You should conduct a thorough review of your sleeping environment, making sure that everything is conducive to a good night’s sleep. If your bed is uncomfortable, you should consider replacing it with one that helps you sleep better. Old pillows should be discarded and replaced with high-quality, new pillows. You should also have complete darkness in the room to help you fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night time.

We are all creatures of habit, and if you can’t establish a good pattern of sleep each night, you simply won’t get in the habit of having a good night’s sleep. Make sure you go to bed around the same time each night, so your body becomes used to the same schedule.

Most people don’t have any problem drinking coffee in the morning, and then avoiding it the rest of the day before bedtime. Alcohol is also known to interfere with sleep, so you should avoid this in order to have a good night’s sleep as well. Either of these two can work to prevent you from having a sound sleep at night, so you should minimize their usage, and certainly avoid them in the hours before bedtime.

It’s always a good idea to turn off electronic devices in your house, especially televisions and other screens, because the light emanating from screens can make your brain think it’s time to wake up. You shouldn’t really have any technology inside your bedroom, but if you do it should always be turned off an hour before bedtime. You’re much better off reading a good book in the hour before going to sleep, because that will prepare you better for a solid night’s sleep.

Whenever you’re having difficulty sleeping at night, your first step should be to consult with your doctor. It’s possible that some underlying issue is causing difficulty with falling to sleep or with staying asleep at night. In many cases, your doctor will be able to diagnose the real cause, and help you to obtain a better night’s sleep.  

If you are experiencing issues with sleep, we can help identify and treat the cause.  Contact us at the Breathing and Sleep Center today to learn more about your sleep.