Sleep is so important to our bodies' daily functions. It helps us gain muscle, lose fat, recover, regulate hormones, among many other benefits.
Everyone has different circumstances surrounding their sleep - parents of young children, night shift nurses, women going through menopause - the list goes on and on.
Rather than give you a set number of hours of sleep that you need, here are some daily actions that may increase your probability of getting more sleep.
Set an alarm for going to bed. We set one to wake up, why not have one for going to sleep?!
Take a cold or hot shower, whichever one works best for you.
Turn off electronics. Whether it's work, social media, or video games - turn off your electronics an hour before bedtime.
Deep breathing, yoga, or other body-calming exercises.
Stop drinking caffeine 8 hours prior to scheduled bed time.
Journaling. After shutting off your electronics, spend time journaling your anxieties or stressors from the day.
Set the room to an appropriate temperature. Most people sleep better in cool conditions. Find what works for you.
Sleep is worth the effort. Choose one of these actions to incorporate into your nightly routine and add more as each one becomes a habit.
Courtesy of Precision Nutrition