3 Ways for You to Get Better Quality Sleep
Need My Sleep
Everyone seems to need more sleep. No matter how much rest we get, sleep is something we can’t seem to get enough of. If you feel this way, you’re not alone. In a recent report, Singapore ranked 3rd among 43 cities surveyed for sleep deprivation[1]. Only 1 in 4 people get more than 7 hours of sleep per night and few barely sleep through the night. It seems that sleep is something most Singaporeans struggle with!
It’s no wonder either, constant distractions from our screens combined with the mental and physical stressors in our day can make it difficult to have good quality sleep. However, with the proper insights, routines and gadgets, you can genuinely unwind for a good night’s rest. If you’ve been looking for easy sleep solutions, here are 3 ways to improve quality of your sleep.
#1 Get Your Muscles Loose
Throughout the day, you could be spending hours looking at a monitor in the office or facing a screen even at home. A typical 9-5 office worker accumulates a lot of stress in areas like the neck and lower back after long periods of sitting at their desk. Without adequate stretching or even exercise, this stress can evolve to muscle tension which would then affect your sleep. To sleep better, one of the easiest steps to take is to spend some time stretching before bedtime. An easy stretch routine everyday can relieve tension in the neck and decompress the spine, preparing your body for effective rest at night.
If stretching isn’t how you envisioned better sleep to look like, how about a guided massage routine. One of the best inventions for relaxing muscles is the Theragun. While they have a wide collection of massage devices, the Theragun Sense stands out as best option for relaxation. The percussive power for the Sense is just right, relieving tension without putting you in a state of alert. With the Therabody mobile app, you are able to use the Sense alongside a visual guide, with instructions on pressure required and the targetted muscle groups. A study on a focus group showed that using the Theragun as part of your pre-sleep routine can improve how fast you fall asleep and decrease the number of time you wake up[2]. A wellness companion like the Theragun sense would definitely help you sleep better.
To find out more about the Theragun Sense, click here.
#2 Relax Your Eyes
Besides the muscle tension, another by-product of our environment being filled with screens and media is the toll it takes on our eyes. Blue light emitted from our screens has a natural energy boosting effect, improving alertness and our mood. This same light, emitted also from the sun, is great and beneficial early in the morning, but exposure to blue light near our bedtimes can disrupt our body’s natural sleep cycle[3]. To sleep better, it is important to reduce and limit the amount of screen time before bed. Consequently, long exposure to digital screens can cause eye strain which makes falling asleep more difficult. A night time routine with limited screen time and rest for the eyes could ease you better into sleep.
If you’ve had your eyes feeling tired and strain from long hours of staring at the screen, a gentle massage can be a huge relief to the strain. Blocking out light sources when you’re about to sleep also removes potential interruptions and really primes your body for the rest it needs. The Smart Goggles by Therabody gently massages your temples and eyes and relieves the days’ worth of tension and strain. The weighted material it’s made of is gentle, soothing and blocking out light sources. The device has a biometric sensor, it sets a lower vibration frequency for your heart rate to be lowered as well. All these features make the SmartGoggles a vital tool for your sleep. Who knew a smart eye mask could be so beneficial for your wellness.
To find out more about the SmartGoggles by Therabody, click here.
#3 Understand Yourself Better
Lastly, part of sleeping better is dependent on how well you understand your own body and sleeping habits. It’s easy sometimes to assume that your body can function on a certain number of hours while in fact, you could be missing out on deep sleep required to charge you up. Information like sleep patterns, times you’ve woken up in a night and especially the amount of actual rest you’re getting per night is important. Simply sleeping for longer hours does not translate into better sleep quality. Truth is, data on your sleep is often overlooked as part of wellness, and it’s almost impossible for you to track it by yourself. How are you supposed to sleep and record data at the same time. You could check yourself into a sleep clinic for a costly diagnosis but thankfully, there have been many health wearables offering a sleep tracking function these days.
One wearable that can give you the insight on your sleep is the RingConn Smart Ring. While the conventional wearable exists as a watch on your wrist, the smart ring sits discreetly on your finger, providing all the health data you’re looking for. For the purpose of sleep tracking, the ring holds an advantage. Having a smart watch on throughout the night can be uncomfortable, while the RingConn Smart Ring is hardly noticeable. Gain insight using data like heart rate variability and resting heart rate to see if your sleep that night had been smooth, or track the amount of deep sleep you’ve had with the smart ring’s Sleep Stages analysis. All these data serve for you to make the right adjustments in your sleep environments or pre-bedtime routines.
To find out more about the RingConn Smart Ring, click here!
The Rest You Deserve
While there is no one-stop solution to improving the quality of your sleep, there are still many factors you can experiment with to get the desired rest. Through relieving muscular tension, giving your eyes a good break and understanding your sleep patterns, you can unwind more efficiently and get better sleep. Being able to manage all the stressors in a fast paced society can be intimidating, so be sure to arm yourself with the right companions.
Author: Ian
References:
- https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/gia/article/sleep-deprivation-in-singapore-a-public-health-crisis#:~:text=A
- https://www.therabody.com/us/en-us/blog/home/theragun-can-help-improve-sleep-study-shows-2/
- https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/digital-devices-your-eyes
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