While you should strive every day to get a good night’s sleep, during November it comes to the forefront during National Sleep Comfort Month. In order to function at your highest level, you need to get sufficient sleep on a regular basis. If you find that you’re always trying to “catch up” on your sleep and find yourself yearning for a good night’s 
sleep, you need to look for ways to get a better night’s sleep.
Here are our top tips on how to get a good night’s sleep:
- Your quality of sleep can be affected by the temperature and light in your bedroom. Make certain you find a temperature that is comfortable to you for sleeping. Also, keep light and noise to a minimum – you’ll sleep better in a dark, quiet room. If absolute quiet doesn’t work for you, try to run a sound machine or a fan for white noise.
- A major component to a good night’s sleep is having a mattress and pillow that offer support and comfort. There are many mattresses that are specifically designed to address the degrees of firmness that helps you sleep best. The same is true for pillows – shop around until you find a size and firmness of pillow that allows you to fall – and stay – asleep.
- Take a couple of days during November and try let your body clock reset itself. Try this. Go to bed at a reasonable hour but don’t set your alarm clock. Allow yourself to wake up naturally. You will need to do this for a couple of days in a row to let you see how much sleep you require. Once you’ve figured that out you can make the changes necessary to your sleep patterns so that you attain your sleep goals.
- In order to sleep well, you need to get exercise during the day. Make time for daily activity, whether it’s walking, running or bike riding, not only will daily activity make you healthier but it will lead to a better night’s sleep.
- Implement a pre-bedtime ritual. Whether you want to curl up with a book, soak in the tub, enjoy a cup of tea or listen to soothing music, find a routine that works for you and lets your body know that this is the time of day to start winding down.
While having a good bedtime routine and getting a good night’s sleep is a year-round endeavor, we like to bring it to the forefront during November. If after trying these exercises you find you still cannot sleep, you might be suffering a sleep disorder. You can take our sleep test or talk to your doctor.
Since 2002, Valley Sleep Center has provided Arizona with diagnostic sleep disorder testing in a home-like atmosphere, ensuring a comfortable, relaxing experience for their patients. Their physicians are Board Certified Sleep Medicine Specialists and are accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. They provide diagnostic testing for a multitude of sleep-related disorders including insomnia, sleep apnea, snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, hypertension, sleepwalking and pediatric sleep problems. For information contact Lauri Leadley at 480-830-3900.
