Getting a Good Night’s Sleep During Wintertime
When the weather changes, so do our household needs. During the summer we need to stay cool, especially during the night, and during the winter we need to find ways to get extra nice and toasty! And when you try to curl up and get cozy during the cold season, you may find you often struggle to get a good night’s sleep.
But, bunking down when it’s cold and dark outside shouldn’t feel impossible. A lot of people live with insomnia during these dramatic seasonal changes, and a person’s body clock can get turned upside down by the short days and long nights. However, the points below might just be able to help you get a regular 8 hours again.
Let as Much Light in as Possible
Light is in rare supply during winter, and that can trick our bodies into breaking our biological clocks. As such, we find it hard to sleep at night sometimes, because it’s been dark for ages and we’ve gotten used to it. But that’s why those morning hours when the sun is shining down are so important.
If you can get outside during these hours, usually between 7am and midday, you can soak up plenty of rays for the evening. This can help to reset your circadian rhythm and get you back on track with your sleep schedule. More sun in the morning, more likely to sleep in the evening. All in all, you may just need to get up a bit earlier!
Keep Your Bed Warm, Not the Room
Your bed needs to be warm and cozy to crawl into at the end of a long day. However, the room you sleep in does not need to be. The weather is making your house naturally colder, and it’s difficult to get out of bed in the morning, when it’s freezing. But sleeping in these conditions is good for you.
When your body temperature is a little lower than usual, it primes your body for sleep. Indeed, the middle of the night (between 2 and 4 am) are the times when our bodies are coldest – it’s why these tend to be tiring hours if you stay up past midnight. But instead of pushing the thermostat up, invest in a new comforter set, make sure you’ve got clean sheets and plenty of blankets, and then get cozy under the covers.
Step Up Your Exercise Routine
Exercising is good at all times of the year, but it’s very good during winter. After all, the more you do during the day, the more tired you are at night. And when you’re struggling to sleep, giving your body less energy to work with when bedtime rolls around is a very good thing. So get outside a bit more, even if it’s freezing out there!
Wrap up and get warm in thermal underlayers and workout jackets and then go for a jog, or hit the gym a couple times a week. Exercising is another thing that can set your circadian rhythm back into your normal routine, and even just going for a walk could do wonders for your day and night perception. Exercising in the late afternoon or early evening is usually considered best.
Humidify the Air
If you’re someone who’s prone to snoring, especially when the winter makes it dry outside, humidifying the air is a very good idea. By putting a bit more moisture back into the air, you help to keep your nose, sinuses, and throat going all night long without getting itchy and scratchy. What could be better for sleeping in winter than knowing you won’t wake up with a dry mouth and terrible breath?
And humidifiers don’t have to be expensive or noisy to use, either. You can get a small one on the internet that can handle a standard sized master bedroom, and then plug it in a half an hour before bed. You can also leave the humidifier on all night if you feel the need to, but first double check how humid your home already is with some simple tests.
A good night’s sleep during the wintertime could be yours without a problem. So, if you usually struggle to fall asleep when it seems to be eternally dark outside, use ideas like these to help out. Plenty of light in the mornings goes a long way, and if you’ve got a warm bed to slip into when the room is cool, you’ll be extra comfy and ready to sleep!
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