Light Sleepers (How to Stay Asleep)

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Light Sleepers
19 Feb

Tossing and turning throughout the night doesn’t cut it. As humans we spend up to one-third of our lives in a sleep state and it is crucial to our bodies’ health, mental clarity and performance throughout our lives. For light sleepers the most common obstacle faced when trying to stay asleep is their lack of a quiet and relaxing sleeping environment. Make sure you’re getting the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep by taking the measures necessary to ensure you make the most of your evening rest time.

Don’t Let Noise Keep You Awake

The first defense for light sleepers is to regularly wear earplugs, this is definitely the cheapest and easiest option so start here. Whenever I need to use ear plugs to get to sleep they work wonders, but I always wake up with either only one or none left in my ears. For those of you who are also sensitive to light, try a sleep mask. Both of these products are also great if you live with someone who has to wake and and get ready for work before you’re ready to be awake. If neither of these work for you then it’s time to dive deeper and start soundproofing your bedroom.

Light Sleepers

White Noise Machines Improve Sleep

The next steep will run you anywhere between $20-$200 depending on the product you pick. Some people swear by their white noise machines as the product that helps them get to sleep fast while drowning out distracting noises.

It might seem counterintuitive that adding more noise to a room would help people sleep better at night, but it actually does work for a lot of people. See, at first you will notice the white noise, but after a few minutes a lot of people forget about it or it blends into the background like A/C noise. It really just raises the ambient noise, or background noise, in a room so it works to cover, or drown out, conversation or TV coming from other areas of your house.

Soundproof Your Room and Sleep Better

Block Sounds with Door Panel, Shown Unbuckled and Rolled Down, Residential Acoustics

If a white noise machine doesn’t cut it for you, or actually makes it harder for you to get to sleep, there’s still something else out there that can help. Try a soundproof curtains or a soundproof door cover depending on the source of the noise keeping you up at night. If the noise is coming through your windows AND doors then you can get one of each!

Some common noises that can disrupt sleep include traffic noises, animals noises, construction noises and more. In the case of these noises, a soundproof curtain over the window could reduce the noise by up to 80%. On the other hand, if the disruptive noises keeping you up are coming from inside the house, such as your significant other watching TV in the other room then you’d do well with a soundproof door cover.

More Tips for Light Sleepers

Transforming your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary is not as difficult as it once was. With these simple improvements listed below, even the lightest sleeper is given the best opportunity to enjoy a restful and rejuvenating night – every night of the week.

  • Be aware of the after effects of caffeine, alcohol and sugary confections close to bedtime.
  • Create a sleep schedule or routine, even on weekends.
  • Turn off electronics and dim lights in your home before bed.
  • Evaluate your bedroom to find an ideal temperature, sound and light combination which works for you. The optimal bedroom temperature should be between 60 – 67 degrees.
  • Exercise daily and stretch directly before bed to aid in relaxation.
  • Give your body ample time to shift into sleep mode. Instead of using electronic devices which emanate light forcing the brain to stay in an active state, choose to a relaxing activity like reading or taking a bath.
  • Choose comfortable sheets, mattress and pillows.

Helping Light Sleepers Get to Sleep and Stay Asleep

So, along with the long list of tips we gave you right above, don’t forget what we talked about earlier.

Check out other ways to improve your sleep here!