As we all know, sleep is vital to our health in the short and long term and has a huge effect on our daily mood and our quality of life.
However, despite the fact that the recommended amount of sleep is between 7-9 hours for adults (8-10 is recommended for teens, while for school-age children it’s 9-11) the majority of Americans struggle to achieve this.
In addition to not getting enough sleep, most of us are also reducing the quality of our sleep with our sleep-harming habits.
Here are the top 3 lifestyle alterations we can make to improve our sleep quality and fall asleep faster.
Protect against blue light.
Blue light emitted from our screens is one of the top causes of sleep disturbances, wreaking havoc on the body’s circadian rhythm (a.k.a. our internal body clock) and reducing the volume of melatonin our bodies make: a hormone crucial for making us feel tired in the evenings and priming us for sleep.
Despite this, looking at screens is what most of us do straight before bed, whether looking at our phones, using our laptops, or watching TV. In fact, a Sleep Foundation poll found that 52.7% of American adults typically watch TV before bed.
So, to fall asleep more easily and improve your sleep quality, ditch the screens at least an hour or two before bedtime.
What’s more, you can protect against blue light – which affects more than just sleep and potentially causes harm to your eyesight – throughout the day. Viteyes® Blue Light Defender Gummies are formulated with Lutein and Zeaxanthin to protect your eyes from blue light, which may be emitted from electronic devices (computers, tablets, smartphones) as well as from sun exposure. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are the only natural defenses our eyes have against the harmful effects of blue light. This premium formula now also includes AstaReal® Astaxanthin to relieve tired and strained eyes. Viteyes® Blue Light Defender is a natural, berry-flavored gummy, free of common allergens, pectin-based, Vegan, and suitable for those ages 12+.
Limit caffeine intake.
Most people have misconceptions about the effect that caffeine has on our sleep, implementing rules such as not having coffee past 3 pm, which hugely underestimates the potency of this commonly consumed stimulant.
In actuality, caffeine stays in our bodies – blocking receptors in our brain associated with regulating our sleep – for 8-12 hours after it’s consumed.
So, to improve your ability to wind down and fall asleep more quickly, try to avoid consuming caffeine past the first few hours of the day – or, even better, cut it out altogether.
Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule.
While caffeine and screens cause disorder to your internal biological clock – and, as such, should be limited to improve your quality of sleep – implementing a strict sleep schedule in which you go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day is the best thing you can do to proactively enhance your ability to fall asleep quickly.
Practicing a regular sleep schedule trains your body to know when it’s bedtime, helps regulate your circadian rhythm and triggers the release of sleep-inducing chemicals at the right time each day, so you can consistently fall asleep at your desired bedtime.
So, to fall asleep more quickly and improve your sleep quality, make sure to limit your caffeine consumption to the morning, maintain a regular sleep schedule, ditch the screens before bed and take Viteyes® Blue Light Defender to protect against the harmful effects of blue light on your sleep.
