Now more than ever, it’s important to ensure that your sleep habits aren’t getting off track. Sticking to a consistent wake up and wind down times keeps your body’s internal clock on track and promotes immune-boosting, high quality sleep.
With increased rates of insomnia reported during this time, we put together the key tips you need to establish a sleep routine and avoid activities that will decrease your sleep quality. Employ these tactics to get a better night’s rest. After all, even small improvements can make a big difference.
Wake up at the same time each day and get out of bed promptly
Even though you may now have a different morning routine, it’s important to get out of bed quickly each day and wake up at the same time. While it may be tempting, staying in bed for a while after you wake up can cause your brain to associate your bed with being awake and make it harder to fall asleep. You can track your time to leave bed in the Eight Sleep app to ensure it’s not creeping up over time.
Don’t work from your bed if you’re working from home
Working from your bed during the day can blur the boundaries between work and sleep, decreasing both your productivity and sleep quality. Boundary-crossing activities like getting dressed in the morning and moving from your bed to a new place in your house to start work signals to the body that you are ready for work.
Take exercise breaks throughout the day to fight fatigue
Stay productive by scheduling breaks in your day to stretch and move your body. Take a socially distant walk, go for a run, or do an indoor exercise class to release endorphins and fight stress. Use the short workouts in the Eight Sleep app to get your body moving every day.
Keep screens out of the bedroom
Try to get sunlight in the morning and avoid bright lights from laptops and phones at night to maintain your circadian rhythm. If you do have to use a screen at night, wear Blue Light Glasses to filter out harmful rays that disrupt your body’s internal clock so that you can fall asleep quickly when you are ready to go to sleep.
Create a wind down ritual
With a packed 24-hour news cycle, it can be tempting to catch up on all of the day’s updates right before bedtime, but this content often brings anxiety rather than calmness, and makes it harder to fall asleep. Avoid anxiety inducing content like the news or social media before bed. Instead, try a short meditation in the Eight Sleep app, write for five minutes in your journal, or read a book to help wind down your mind and prepare yourself to fall asleep. Plus, pair a calming weighted Gravity Blanket with these relaxing activities for the ultimate relaxation ritual.
Go to bed at the same time each night
With potential changes to your work or commuting schedules, it’s tempting to go to bed progressively later each night. If you even decrease time slept by as little as 16 minutes, your body’s internal clock can get off track. Set a goal bedtime for you each night and stick to it to ensure high quality sleep.
For the ultimate solution for sleep improvement, check out the Eight Sleep Pod, which will track your sleep habits and set goals for you each night.
