Sleep deprivation is a serious issue that affects as much as 30 percent people in the US alone. It is no secret that we all lead busy lives with stressful schedules to follow. It leaves little time for the things we enjoy the most. Sleep is one of those things.

A good night’s sleep is kind of a luxury nowadays, if you think about it. Many of you may disagree and that is fair because it depends a lot on a person’s lifestyle too. But one thing is for sure, there are much more distractions today stealing precious moments that we would be spending sleeping otherwise.

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Not getting enough sleep can leave you grumpy but that’s not where it ends as it also has an adverse effect on our overall health and mental state. To function at our fullest, we need to be recharged fully just like smartphones!

There are some easy ways, little changes that we can make to be able to sleep better. Remember, only increasing the quantity won’t help. Increasing the quality is just as important.

1. Develop a Bedtime Ritual

You might already know about this and some of you may even be doing this. Anyways, this is done basically to put yourself in a buffer zone. Let me explain.


After you are done for the day, and you lie down on the bed, you might often find yourself rewinding the whole day in your head, thinking about different moments and situations. One thing leads to another and the next thing you know, you are having an imaginary conversation with an alien being, all in your head!

So, doing something daily just before sleep, will help you block out all the extra noise in your head and makes you focus on one activity. It can be listening to peaceful music, or reading a book (the most popular one), taking a relaxing bath, meditating (another very effective one) or even enjoying a hot beverage. Doing so also signals your body that you are ready for sleep.

2. Making Yourself Comfortable

The environment of your bedroom matters a lot. Even small details like smell, amount of light and noise, all affect your sleep quality. Also, the most important part of the bedroom is …. your bed! 

An uncomfortable bed may leave you tossing all night which affects your sleep quantity as well as your quality. It may also leave you with aches all over your body. 

Your bed should be comfortable, one where you would instantly go into a deep slumber as soon as you lay on it. Well that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point. The bed is your friend, choose wisely!

3. No Smartphones

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Technology is great and staying connected is wonderful. But even the good things must come to an end, at least temporarily! We are so stuck to our “screens” that we just can’t seem to get enough. 

The thing about these screens is that the light coming out of them actually disrupts sleep. It is really bad for your sleep quality. You might have heard of apps like f.lux that turn the color of your computer screens slightly orange-ish at night time.

That is done so that it is easier for your eyes and you don’t go to bed with burning eyes. Try to put away your smartphones and laptops at least half an hour before your sleep. That will give you enough time to follow your bedtime ritual as well!

4. Exercise Regularly

Everyone knows that exercising regularly has a multitude of health benefits, but we seldom do it. To keep your body functioning at the optimal level, it is of prime importance that you exercise regularly. 

Apart from all the other health benefits, believe it or not, exercising can contribute to better sleep. A lot of studies have shown this and is something that I have felt personally too.

Make sure that you exercise at least 30 minutes everyday in the morning. Do not do a strenuous workout just before sleep as it will actually make it more difficult to fall asleep. 

5. Stick to a Schedule

Our bodies come with a clock. It is called the biological clock and is not an actual clock with dials and hands. This internal clock adjusts itself to any routine that we start following for a certain amount of days.

That is the reason we often hear things like, “Humans are a creature of habit”. For better sleep, make sure that you wake up and sleep at roughly the same time everyday. This puts your body on autopilot and it will automatically know when to sleep and when to wake up.

You won’t have to force yourself to sleep anymore and also won’t have to repel the magnetic pull of the bed in the morning. Things will get a lot easier. 

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