3 Ways for a Better Sleep Hygiene

How to improve my sleep Quality?

The current pandemic is taking an emotional toll on almost all of us. Most of us have been plugged into another reality, away from our workplaces and friends; and in some cases, cut off from our families and our livelihoods. So many of us have lost someone or got sick. And it is all of us who have lost whatever certainty we had about the future.

If there is one positive thing that this pandemic has taught us, it is self-care. Over time, we are becoming more aware about wasting time, worrying about the news, and having long chats about all the things that might go wrong does not serve us good. In fact, all these things create chronic stress, eating disorders, and sleepless nights. As a mindfulness and yoga Instructor, I speak every day with employees who struggle with insomnia. And here is a few questions I hear over and over again. How does sleep hygiene affect my mental health? what can sleep deprivation do to me? Why is my sleep quality so bad?

This is why I thought to share with you 3 simple steps you can take to improve your sleep quality and feel relaxed on demand

• Disable social media

Social Media Detoxing – Picture by Alexander Shatov

Creating do-not-disturb time slots and blocking social media sites before you go to bed is one of the best ways to sleep better. Although we all know we need 8 hours of sleep on average, in order to function in our day-to-day lives, we still seem to keep falling into the same trap and get distracted from our routine. And we keep hyperconnected with our mobile devices. That is why disabling social media sites becomes so important. This habit can help keep ourselves on track in creating the restorative time we need before we go to bed.

• Practice self-care with a friend

Try self-care with your friends – picture by Helena Lopes

Most of us know that creating consistent and relaxing evening rituals can make us feel calm and ready to sleep better. Do you wonder how we make these rituals into daily habits and keep ourselves accountable? Well, doing so first requires getting a friend and holding each other accountable. For example, if you want to be in bed by 10.30pm, you can ask your friend to give you a call at 10pm to check if you are both ready for your evening ritual. Having someone to keep you on track with your daily actions is an effective way to see long-lasting impact on everything you want to achieve in life, and mostly improve your sleep hygiene.

• Your alarm is not your phone. Try a digital detox.

Have you ever thought that leaving your phone and all of your tech devices outside your bedroom when you go to bed can help you feel more relaxed? For those who say their phone is where they normally set their alarm, this might be a good time to consider buying a regular alarm. Keeping yourself disconnected from your devices before you go to bed gives you the restorative time you need to switch off. This habit will help you ‘zone’ your body and mind for a long, good night’s sleep.

Join Urban Yoga Lab’s team and their expert Harriet for a 30-minutes mindful yoga to learn tricks for a better sleep here.

Written By Alexandra Kafka