According to sleep science experts, women need more sleep than men — by as much as 20 minutes more. This is because women are prolific multitaskers who tend to use up more brainpower during the day, leading to the need for more recovery time — essentially, sleep.
Unfortunately, this need for more sleep doesn’t automatically mean that women are getting more sleep. On the contrary, women have been known to suffer from a good number of sleep problems, such as insomnia, sleep-disordered breathing, narcolepsy, to name only a few. More often than not, these are caused by hormone fluctuations, especially in younger women, as well as the stress that comes from wearing many hats (as women are wont to do) and even mental problems such as depression and anxiety.
Indeed, there’s no question that women need to cultivate solid sleep habits in order to get the requisite amount of rest that they require to maintain a healthy body and a sound mind. Best of all, this can be done without making a huge dent on your wallet.
Optimize Your Sleep Environment
Better sleep relies heavily on your sleep environment, which is why it’s highly recommended to see your bedroom in a different light and think of the many ways that you can improve it. Essentially, this means focusing on using the bedroom for sleep, rather than as a space for various other activities, such as browsing the internet, watching TV, and more. In fact, the blue light emitted by gadgets is one of the most prevalent causes of sleep deprivation, which is why putting down your electronics hours before bedtime is often recommended.
Sound is also another factor that impacts your sleep cycle. In fact, exposure to nighttime environmental noise is found to have adverse effects on health as an outcome of sleep disturbance. White noise, on the other hand, does the opposite.
With all these factors in mind, it’s a good idea to invest in white noise machines, as well as other sleeping aids like non-blue light-emitting lamps, weighted blankets, comfortable pillows and linens, and more. A trusted retailer like Kohl’s is a great resource as they not only have everything you need but also regularly offer promotions so you can get them at a discount. Rakuten offers some Kohl’s saving tips, including signing up for text-message notifications on promotions, earning Yes2You rewards, and taking advantage of double cash back specials.
Engage in Relaxation Techniques
Now, most women can probably relate to being sleep deprived because of a restless mind that didn’t get the bedtime memo. A great way to circumvent this is by making use of relaxation techniques that still the mind and calm the senses, which, in turn, lead to a restful sleep. As a bonus, such techniques are also known to do wonders for stress relief, which will doubtless contribute to your mental well-being. Relaxation techniques run the gamut from deep-breathing exercises to guided meditation. Getting into the habit can be a challenge, though, which is why it’s prudent to make use of tools to get you started. Today, there are countless meditation and breathing apps that can be downloaded at little to no cost, so take advantage of these budget-friendly and foolproof tools to show you the way.
Make Use of Natural Remedies
These days, essential oils are all the rage, and for very good reasons. Indeed, among the many benefits of aromatherapy, its wonderful effects on sleep disorders like insomnia are most recognized, making it more than wise to add sleep-improving essential oils to your bedtime arsenal. Best of all, you don’t need to use more than a few drops at a time, so this investment goes a very long way. Furthermore, while a humidifier is great to have, there are actually other ways to use your oils without it, such as adding a few drops to a warm bath before bedtime or to a small spray bottle filled with water to mist your pillowcase and sheets.
Indeed, few things are as pleasurable as good, old-fashioned, restful sleep. So, make use of these cost-effective and healthy sleep habits to shake off your sleep challenges for good and, in turn, enjoy a more productive and mentally rewarding life.
Guest author: Cheryl Conklin
