Getting a good night’s sleep is about more than the time directly before bed or when your head hits the pillow. It starts almost as soon as you wake up.
How you spend your day can play a big role in how you spend your night. If your nights are long and filled with tossing and turning, looking at what you do during the day may offer a potential fix.
If you’re up and moving during the day and getting plenty of activity, you’re likely going to feel tired and ready for recovery and sleep when evening rolls in.
On the other hand, if the bulk of your day is spent sitting around, whether you’re working or relaxing, you may have a harder time feeling tired. Or even if you feel like your brain is tired, your body may have a different idea.
Finding ways to burn some energy every day can bolster sleep quality. It gives your body that little push it might need to seek recovery and send you to bed.
Of course, you have to break the cycle of poor sleep. If you don’t sleep well, you’re unlikely to feel energized enough to get up and do some exercise.
But at some point, you’ll just have to push through. Turn up the music and dance in your living room. Get outside for a walk. Do a few rounds of stairs in your home, or even lift some weights. Just find something to get you moving for about 30 to 45 minutes.
In addition to a dedicated exercise block each day, try to increase overall activity throughout the day. That could mean doing some chores, getting up for a walk around the house to take a break from work, or walking on the spot during television commercials or in between shows.
Doing some activity every day, along with improving sleep hygiene practices, may help you sleep a little more surely each night.
