Poor sleep quality or trouble falling asleep is, unfortunately, something nearly everyone will experience at some point in their lives. According to Statistics Canada, 43% of men and 55% of women aged 18 to 64 have trouble sleeping. Throughout the years, Canadians are sleeping less hours per night on average. This is largely credited to the use of modern technology and the reduction in jobs that require physical activity.

Sleep is an important factor in good health, as it’s a time used by the body to rejuvenate. During sleep, our brain forms new pathways and our bodies repair damaged cells.

Courtesy of the experts at RelaxZone, here are four ways to naturally improve your sleep:

Develop a Routine

The advice of creating a routine may take you back to the days of being a child, but the reason it’s repeated is because it works. By following a similar daily routine, you reinforce your natural body clock. To do this, go to bed and wake up at a similar time each day. Over time, you will be able to avoid rising to the dreaded alarm clock, as your body will naturally wake up.

Part of developing a routine also involves giving your body a plan to wind down before falling asleep. Ideally, an hour before bed you will prepare for the next day, shower, and give yourself some time to read before getting some shut-eye. By doing so, your body is given the time it needs to de-stress.

Embrace a Healthy Lifestyle

When you lead a healthy lifestyle, your body has the energy it needs during the day to complete activities that will let you sleep well at night. Exercise strengthens your circadian rhythm, which is essentially your body’s 24-hour clock. Just be cautious to not exercise within four hours of your regular bedtime, as you will be more alert. Eating nutritious foods gives your body the fuel it needs to be active and alert during the day. This involves a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates. To avoid trouble falling asleep, don’t consume foods that contain caffeine after 3:00 p.m.

Common foods that have caffeine include:

  • sodas
  • chocolate
  • ice cream
  • teas
  • cereals

Avoid Artificial Light

Although humans have made major technological advances over the years, our bodies have largely remained the same. The body associates sleep with darkness and activity with light. Keeping this in mind, watching TV before bed or reading from an illuminated e-reader throws off your body’s inclination to sleep. To benefit from the best sleep results, try turning off your electronic devices an hour before bed and reading a printed book instead. Although this will still require you to use a reading light or lamp, these sources of light are less detrimental to your sleep. If you really must read off a screen before bed, install a blue light filter on your device; this will remove the blue light, which is what causes your eyes to strain.

Try Massage Therapy

Massage therapy has numerous benefits for people struggling with back, shoulder, and sports-related injuries, but also helps improve your sleep! This is because massage triggers the production of serotonin in the body, which is directly linked to the sleep hormone, melatonin. Because these hormones perform opposite tasks in the body, a balance is required to experience a good night’s sleep. Getting a massage leads to reduce fatigue throughout the day and improved sleep quality during the night.

At RelaxZone, we aim to provide the highest standards of massage therapy, acupuncture, and holistic services. Choose from our varieties of massages, including hot stone massage, lymphatic drainage, and swedish massage. Discover more about our services by calling 289-234-8989!