Sleep is important for both your physical and mental health. For example, when you’re dreaming of sugar plums, your body is busy regulating hormones, repairing the body, boosting your memory and immune system, and much more. Without the right amount of high-quality sleep in your life, your body will pay for the consequences. Poor sleep is linked to car accidents, injuries, obesity, heart disease, substance abuse, poor quality of life, and much more. At Palencia Dental, we don’t just provide our patients with sleep apnea and snoring treatments, we also educate our patients on how to get a good night of sleep. If you’re looking to improve your quality of sleep, try these sleep tips out.
Stick to a Bedtime Schedule
It’s important to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, even on your days off of work. Sticking to a consistent bedtime schedule helps regulate your body’s internal clock which can help you fall asleep and stay asleep better every night.
Exercise Daily
Another way to improve your quality of sleep is by incorporating exercise into your daily routine. The best type of exercise for sleep is vigorous exercise however light exercise is also beneficial. For best results, don’t exercise too close to bedtime. Sometimes exercise can cause insomnia instead of helping you fall asleep faster.
Create and Practice a Bedtime Ritual
If you don’t already have some sort of bedtime ritual, now is the time to create one. Your bedtime ritual should be the same every night and be some sort of relaxing activity. For instance, you might take a hot shower, then lie in bed and sip sleepy time tea while catching up on a novel. Try to stay away from electronics or screens an hour before bed. Once you establish a bedtime routine, stick to it every night to help your body fall asleep faster.
Create the Perfect Sleeping Environment
The most ideal sleeping environment is one with a comfortable mattress and pillow, a temperature between 60 and 67 degrees, no light and no noise, or some type of white noise. If you usually sleep with the TV and lights on, try to get into the habit of turning everything off and sleeping in the dark quiet.
Wear Your Oral Appliance
The last way to get the best night of sleep possible is by wearing your oral appliance. Whether you snore or suffer from sleep apnea, wearing your oral appliance every night will ensure you don’t snore or wake up throughout the night to catch your breath. Your body will wake up feeling refreshed after a good night of sleep thanks to your oral appliance.
If you’re unhappy with your current method of treatment for sleep apnea or snoring or you’re not sleeping as well as you could, contact Palencia Dental in St. Augustine to learn more about our oral appliances and how they can help you sleep better. Please call (904) 474-5444 today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kinsey today.
