7 Tips to Improve the Quality of Your Sleep and Healing

Bad sleeping habits and late nights can reduce your ability to heal. If you aren’t sleeping for long periods, you aren’t getting into REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. REM sleep is when our body repairs itself. It is important to get quality sleep when you have an injury.

1. Go to bed and get up the same time every day and plan for 7-8 hours of sleep. Plan to go to bed earlier to get extra sleep.

2. Keep your bedroom dark, cool (65-70) and quiet, no blue light (No iPad, no TV at least 30 minutes before bed). Heated blankets are awesome in the winter (We fall asleep much faster).

3. Wind down for a few hours before bed, don’t exercise or do stimulating things (caffeine, a scary movie).

4. Melatonin can also help you sleep better as it helps if your body doesn’t produce enough (from stress and inflammation). Take around 1–5 mg 30–60 minutes before bed. Start with a low dose to assess your tolerance and then increase it slowly as needed. It is advised that you check with your doctor before use.

5. Make sure your mattress and pillow are supportive and not worn out. Your mattress and pillow should be comfortable and supportive. Firmness should align your spine well. This is variable per person and mattress/pillow.

6. Limit alcohol usage when trying to get quality sleep. It may help us relax but it reduces the quality of your sleep.

7. Naps should be limited to 20 minutes in the early afternoon to catch up on sleep but the better option is to go to bed early.

Even implementing a few of these tips can make a huge difference int he quality of your sleep.