Why We All Need Quality Deep Sleep And How To Get It 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wake up fully recharged and ready to start a new day?

I’m here to tell you that this can be you!  

The catch is that there are a few “rules” for you to follow if you’re to get healthy, quality deep sleep. 

I know, I know:  “Don’t tell me what to do!”  Okay, let’s just call them “Suggestions.”  

Here we go.

1.  Make a personal commitment to create the time to get enough quality deep sleep  

“Enough” translates into whatever time it takes to restore your body and mind.  Research has shown that most adults actually need eight hours.  Don’t be stingy with yourself.  Give yourself enough sleep time to recover from the rigors of your day.

2.  Set a time for bed

Try to turn in at this time every night.  Make it your No. 1 priority in the evening.  Often people find it helpful to put out a note to themselves:  “Bedtime at 11 p.m.  No excuses!”

3.  Avoid caffeine in the evening

Coffee, tea, and some sodas will keep you awake. Your body doesn’t need caffeine past the mid-afternoon hours. 

4.  Establish a bedtime routine for that quality deep sleep

This prepares your body and your mind for bed.  Brushing your teeth.  Putting on your jammies.  Setting the alarm.  Turning off your phone. 

Be consistent.  These nightly cues allow you to look forward to bedtime and help you get sleepy.  

5.  Clean your body with a nice bath or shower

You can rinse away the dirt and debris of the day.  Consciously let the accumulated energy wash away too. 

6.  Your proper sleep environment is essential as well  

Keep your bedroom primarily for sleeping. 

It’s worth it to pay attention to the atmosphere of the room.  Experts say cooler temperatures induce a deeper sleep. 

As for lighting, the darker the better is the suggestion for restful sleep. 

The quality of your bed is another important factor.  Get the best mattress you can afford. 

And take the TV out of the bedroom!

7.  Journal your day and release your worries

An active mind can keep us up half the night.  But when we write our thoughts down in a journal, we can just let our worries go. 

You may even find yourself yawning as your write your last sentence of the night.

8.  Exercise promotes a healthy body that in turn increases the quality of sleep

But not too late in the evening.  A little experimentation will let you exercise early enough so that you’ll be tired in a natural, soothing way when bedtime rolls around. 

So exercise and sleep really go together. 

9.  Watch when you eat and what you eat  

Food can perk you up, which is a good thing.  But not when you’re trying to go to sleep. 

One tip that I have found for a late night snack is banana tea. 

Bananas have B6, which helps make serotonin. 

Serotonin promotes sleep by readying the mind and body for sleep.  It helps calm us and slow down the excitatory responses in our brain. 

You can make a banana tea by boiling an organic banana for a few minutes until soft and then removing the peel, which turns brown in the process.  

10.  Perhaps the hardest of them all is this last rule, er, suggestion

Turn off your electronics when you’re ready to say good night.  Research has shown that smart phones, laptops, and other electronics interrupt sleep. 

And you’ve already moved the TV out of your bedroom, so you’re ready for dreamland.

So, we all know that sleep is essential. 

Research shows that the less sleep we get, the more our bodies age. 

Quality deep sleep may be the true Fountain of Youth.

I think it’s worth a little effort to get a good night’s sleep and wake up ready to take on the world!  You deserve it.