When routines change your schedule is disrupted and your sleep may be impacted. When your body adjusts to something new, it might take some time for your sleep patterns to catch up. Keep reading to learn ways to get better sleep so you wake feeling rested – and ready to tackle the day.
What does your body do when you’re sleeping?
Did you know that while we sleep our body is working very hard to rejuvenate and repair? It’s true. Our bodies continuously go through active changes, which is why sleep is so important. During sleep, we:
- Grow muscles and repair tissues
- Synthesize hormones
- Consolidate our memories
When our sleep is disrupted (or we get poor sleep), our body cannot do its job. Poor or little sleep accumulated over time can negatively affect our long-term health.
Tips for sleeping that you might not know about
We all know that getting good sleep is important, but do we actually know how much sleep we need and what our bodies do while we’re sleeping? Adults typically need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. And one of the best tips for getting better sleep is to wake up at the same time every day –regardless of how much sleep you got the night before.
Here are some other tips for getting better sleep:
- Stick to a bedtime routine (like brush teeth, wash face, put on pajamas and turn down bed covers)
- Use your sleeping area for sleep only
- Only go to bed when you’re sleepy and get up every 15 minutes if you can’t sleep
- Try to limit naps – and limit them to 30 minutes or less
Nutrition and sleep
Did you know that your diet, nutrition and caffeine can affect sleep? It’s true. Eating healthy fats, veggies and fruit can help you get better sleep. When your body is balanced, you produce the right amount of hormones so that you won’t get hungry while you’re sleeping.
Avoiding things with added sugar (and too much caffeine) can also help you get better sleep. What’s considered too much? A good rule of thumb is to try and drink no more than 200 mg (2 cups) of coffee or caffeinated beverages per day. If you can, also try to avoid super spicy foods and foods high in fat within 3 hours of bedtime.
Take a look at the National Sleep Foundation for more resources on sleep.
HealthPartners plan members: sign in to your HealthPartners well-being account
If you’re a HealthPartners Health plan member, check out the Sleep Tracker and track how much (and how well) you sleep. Simply get started by signing in to healthpartners.com, click the “Healthy Living tab” under “My Plan”. Then click “Go to your well-being program” and locate the Sleep Tracker activity.