Maintaining a healthy routine involves adopting small habits that will become part of an ideally balanced lifestyle. Everything that happens in our daily lives affects our well-being and health, whether immediately or over the years. This is true of sleep, for example. A night of poor sleep is quickly noticeable the next day, without any significant impact on health. But if this lack of sleep is a regular occurrence, it can lead to cardiovascular, psychological, and physical risks.
Sleep sets the rhythm for our circadian cycle, which corresponds to the human body's biological clock—the 24-hour cycle between wakefulness and sleep.
That is why getting a good night's sleep allows us to support our body's natural processes and ensure that all our bodily functions work properly.
In honor of International Sleep Day, here are some tips to help you enjoy peaceful and restful nights.
1 - Eat a healthy diet
As we know, eating a healthy diet helps maintain good health, boosts energy levels, and ensures an optimal intake of vitamins and nutrients. But there are also a few rules to follow to fall asleep quickly.
Eating three varied meals at set times will synchronize your body clock and thus help you sleep well. Good habits are developed by sticking to a schedule. In the evening, it’s best to eat 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. This gives your body time to cool down after digestion. You should avoid heavy or greasy meals before bedtime (except on special occasions, of course).
In this case as well, consuming too many calories will result in slower and more difficult digestion.
For dinner, you can choose foods that promote restful sleep by producing serotonin and melatonin— two hormones that help you sleep well. To do this, opt for foods rich in tryptophan (an amino acid): legumes, dairy products, poultry, chocolate, bananas, oats, and soy.
In addition, slow-release sugars help you fall asleep because carbohydrates help produce the well-known sleep hormones. For dinner, you can choose from pasta, rice, potatoes, or legumes with poultry (without overdoing it on animal proteins, which stimulate the body) or soy protein, possibly accompanied by a little bread. And, of course, any vegetables or fruit (especially bananas and dates).
A hot drink at the end of a meal is a nice little extra (if you feel like it): it could be warm sweetened milk or a herbal tea made with chamomile, linden, verbena, or even valerian. Relaxation is guaranteed.
2 - A Good Routine
Establishing good habits before going to bed will set you up for a good night's rest. After a good meal, as the evening begins, you can take advantage of this special moment to establish a ritual tailored to your needs.
If you find yourself dwelling on the previous day or feeling stressed, writing can help you release that tension. You can simply keep a notebook to jot down your thoughts as they come to you. It’s a very interesting exercise that gives you a sense of lightness.
Gratitude is a powerful tool that helps you focus on the positive aspects of your life. Writing down the good things that have happened during the day helps you downplay the negative things that we tend to overemphasize.
Any meditation or yoga practice—as cliché as it may sound—will help you focus on the present moment and reduce stress. In general, it’s not recommended to use screens before bed, since blue light disrupts your sleep cycle. But the goal is also to enjoy yourself, so watching a good TV show under a blanket with a cup of herbal tea is one of those simple pleasures that will lift your spirits. Of course, if you’re more of a reader, a novel before bed is a much better choice.
Finally, planning your day ahead of time will help you avoid feeling stressed as soon as you wake up. This means picking out your clothes, preparing breakfast in advance, and even jotting down a few notes about your goals for the day. That way, you’ll go to bed with a clear, relaxed mind—perfect for a restful night’s sleep.
3 - Do a little exercise
Yes, this seems to contradict the previous point, which comes across as a bit of a jerk. But when it comes to sports, there are clearly differences in intensity, and it depends on the time of day.
Everyone knows that making exercise a part of your daily routine is very beneficial. Regular physical activity boosts your basal metabolic rate, promotes weight loss (especially when combined with a healthy diet), and reduces stress, primarily through the release of endorphins. The list of benefits is long, covering both physical and mental health.
When it comes to rest, exercise helps prolong the deep sleep phase. The first thing you feel is what’s called “good fatigue”— tiredness that comes from physical exertion and a full day’s activities.
There are several recommendations about the best time to exercise, especially in the morning. But since everyone’s schedule is different—whether you work out first thing in the morning or late in the day—the important thing is to listen to your body and enjoy it. Ideally, you should exercise several hours before bedtime because it’s an exciting activity that boosts adrenaline. At least for sports that are fairly intense.
Whether it's yoga or walking, you can do it in the afternoon.
Therefore, regular exercise creates a virtuous cycle of overall calm, healthy fatigue, deep sleep, and a healthier mind and body. It is recommended to exercise for 30 minutes a day, allowing for rest periods based on the intensity of the activity.
4 - Avoid substances such as coffee, tea, or nicotine after 5 p.m.
Drinking stimulants at the end of the day can have a negative effect on sleep, especially if you're sensitive to them. This applies mainly to coffee and tea, which are widely consumed around the world.
The culprit is caffeine, which—despite its name—is found not only in coffee and tea, but also in cola-based drinks and other energy drinks. It is also the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world.
Therefore, it should be consumed in moderation and, above all, avoided after 5 p.m. And for good reason: drinking coffee 6 hours before going to sleep would cause you to lose an hour of sleep and reduce its quality. Coffee is at the top of the list because its caffeine concentration is much higher than that of tea (on average, two to three times as much per cup). However, tea should also be avoided late in the day, especially if you’re already a light sleeper. As we’ve seen before, herbal teas are a much better choice.
The same is true of nicotine, which is a stimulant. In addition to its well-known adverse health effects, nicotine raises blood pressure and heart rate, which negatively affects sleep quality.
For many people, it's hard to give up caffeine or nicotine, but at least cutting back on them and avoiding them in the evening helps ensure a good night's sleep.
5 - Keep your room healthy and free of VOCs
Finally—and this is the point we tend to think about the least— a healthy bedroom is a key factor in getting a good night's sleep.
It is recommended that you keep the temperature at 18 degrees to sleep well. Be sure to air out the room regularly to refresh the air and maintain a comfortable temperature as much as possible.
Avoid prolonged use of scented candles, incense, or other similar products that tend to increase indoor air pollution.
Creating an environment we enjoy, with decor that suits our taste, will make us want to go there for our nightly ritual. A healthy bedroom means high-quality bedding and furniture made from the most natural materials possible. For the mattress, for example, natural latex guarantees unmatched comfort—all without releasing endocrine disruptors.
The same goes for the sheets, which are made of organic cotton or linen. A beautiful bed that feels nice to the touch makes you want to lie down and enjoy it.
At KIPLI, we understand this, and we work to help you create a healthy indoor environment free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are harmful to your health. Our line of mattresses, beds, and bedding is made with natural, eco-friendly materials designed to last.
We hope these tips will help you sleep better.