Sleep is extremely crucial to all living creatures. For children, sleep is especially important because it facilitates growth, especially with brain development. That’s why animal young and human babies sleep so much during the newborn phase – it’s all to do with growth and development.

According to the parents’ experience, babies can sleep up to 19 hours in the early stages of their life. As they learn how to eat, play, and socialize, their brain and body need less sleep, and as we grow older, our need for sleeping is decreasing to around 8 hours at night. But, we all know that sometimes we can’t accomplish that goal, ending up sleeping four to six hours, which is not that bad, but if it lasts too long, it may cause a lot of problems.

However, even when we reach maturity, we still need to sleep because it helps repair the body. According to research, failure to get enough quality sleep can cause a slew of health problems such as high blood pressure, heart attack, obesity, depression, a weaker immune system, and even cause changes in one’s appearance and is linked to Alzheimer’s. Take a look at new mothers and people who sleep very little – they often look haggard and older than their peers.

Do you have a sleeping disorder?

The truth is that sleeping alone is not enough. Special care should go into the quality of your sleep. Many people don’t know that they might be snoring or suffering from sleep apnea – both of which can affect the quality of sleep. Waking up groggy is a sign that you aren’t getting quality sleep. If you are constantly fatigued, you might want to look into recording your sleep to ensure that it isn’t an underlying health problem, but rather, how soundly you sleep.

Sleep apnea and chronic snoring prevent you from entering REM sleep because your body isn’t allowed to relax enough. You are constantly being jolted awake, even if you don’t know it. To make sure you get your quality sleep, do the following:

1. Put your phone away because it’s time to sleep

Your everyday Joe in this modern age most probably brings his phone to bed. This curious behavior is spawned by the great digital revolution. Along with social media and all kinds of entertainment that the internet provides, we find ourselves unable to put our phones away yet that is exactly what we need to do in order to get a good night’s rest.

We all know that struggle. We don’t feel sleepy enough so we decide to go through Twitter or Instagram, then a few TikTok videos, Facebook updates, reading some news from the other side of the world, and so on. Next thing you know, it’s 3 am, and you don’t even feel like you need to sleep – but you have to wake up in less than four hours, and there it is! A panic attack that you won’t have enough strength to cope with the challenges of the next day.

So, put the phone away from your bed, even if that means you will have to invest in a new alarm clock to wake you up in the morning. Note that it’s the same about your TV device, laptop, or even your Kindle or any type of e-book reader you are using.

2. Invest in a quality mattress

The quality of your mattress and the quality of your sleep can be directly correlated. Do your research and find out things like what you need to know about hybrid mattresses, what types of mattresses suit you, etc. Choosing the right mattress is as important as getting the right amount of sleep. It shouldn’t be too soft, or too hard. On the other hand, it all depends on your preferences, but you must be comfortable because the pains in the back and neck can make the whole process exhausting. And of course, pay attention to the pillows you use, because your head needs proper support too.

3. Don’t use too bright colors in your bedroom

Sleeping is usually associated with soft and pastel colors. So, if you choose light blue, lavender, baby pink, or lighter shades of grey, you will surely sleep better. Some people don’t associate a good night’s sleep with colors, but when we see something bright and shiny, our brain wakes up immediately. And as an additional pro tip for your bedroom habits, we highly recommend you not to darken your room with drapes, because the natural light in the morning will help you wake up faster, and maintain a healthier day and night cycle in your life. We can assure you that it doesn’t take too long until you establish a good habit, and maintain it properly.

4. Not everyone needs eight hours

While you definitely need more than 7 hours of sleep every night, some people in different age groups might need more. As mentioned above, very young children should be sleeping a lot more than their adult counterparts or older siblings. This doesn’t mean that they will sleep through the night, but that they should get a set amount of hours per day. Similarly, if you are unable to sleep continuously for eight hours, ensure that you have at least 90 minutes of uninterrupted sleep. This means that you can break your daily quota into a few sessions of sleep, but that 20-minute power nap isn’t going to do anything for your well-being.

And we can conclude that now you know everything you need to know about a good night’s sleep. You need to improve the quality of your sleeping schedule, so you can reset your life functions. When you rest properly, you will be able to accomplish all your daily tasks as needed. If you have a sleeping problem that lasts more than a week, maybe it’s time to visit your doctor and see what’s happening with you, before it becomes too serious to handle.