Eight

Whether you're travelling for work or fun, one thing is for certain: Jumping time zones can wreak havoc on your sleep schedule if you aren't careful. Sleep schedules are fairly sensitive for many people and shifting your sleep times by even just a few hours can take a few days to adjust. While you're going to notice a little bit of disruption if you are travelling overseas, you can keep it to a minimum and fight off the dreaded jet lag if you're proactive and strategic. So, if you want to avoid waking up with night sweats several days after you return, here are a few tips to keep your circadian rhythm in check and stay as sleep fit as possible while traveling. How Long Are You Staying? How long you'll be staying at your destination can significantly impact what you should and shouldn't do to stay sleep fit. In general, it takes around two days to adjust your sleep schedule to a new time zone fully. So, if you're only there for a day, th...

Along with oxygen, water, and food, sleep is one of the essential components of life that everyone needs. Unfortunately, far too many people get poor-quality sleep. Some awaken in the middle of the night with night sweats while others toss and turn throughout the night. Consequently, many of us aren’t as productive and energized the following day.  If you've struggled with getting quality rest at night, there are simple steps you can take to try and fix it. In fact, your daily habits could be affecting your sleep without you even realizing it. Here are some common bad habits to look out for and correct for better quality rest every night. Scrolling Before Bed While smart phones, tablets, laptops, and other screens are essential devices for daily life, once bedtime rolls around, staring at these screens can negatively impact your quality of sleep. Scrolling through social media, sending texts, or playing a game on your phone are all highly interactive activi...

The humble mattress has come a long way in recent years, and companies are finding new and inventive ways to bring technology into the bedroom via smart beds. But, as with almost everything in life, not all smart mattresses are created equal. Here are the top features and attributes that you should consider when shopping for a new smart bed .  Premium Comfort First things first: No matter how much technology is packed into the mattress, it should be effortlessly comfortable and made using premium materials. Many smart beds are made using memory foam, but not all foam will be as comfortable as others. You should look for a smart bed that utilizes multiple layers of adaptive foam that will gently cradle your body while providing adequate support for your pressure points so you can rest easy in any sleeping position. Also, look for additional touches like a protective cover along with a top layer that perfectly molds to your pressure points and lets your body br...

Is your bedroom a sleep paradise? It’s something that many don’t consider when arranging and setting up their room, but it’s crucial. When it comes to sleep, some assume all that's necessary is a bed, a pillow, and a blanket, but if you continuously feel groggy during the day and need four cups of coffee just to make it to lunchtime, it's time for some changes. Along with going to bed around the same time every night (including weekends) to ensure you’re sleeping for 7-9 hours a night, other factors in your bedroom can significantly impact your sleep quality. If improving your sleep fitness is a goal for you, or you're just tired of feeling exhausted during the day, follow these tips to make your bedroom a sleeper’s paradise.  Your Bed Is an Investment In life, there are some things that you can afford to skimp on—your bed isn't one of them. You'll spend nearly one-third of your life in bed, so if you are willing to spring for leather seats in...

Getting a full night’s sleep is essential for people across the world. Without it, you'll start to experience adverse effects in your daily life—and trying to repay your sleep debt on the weekends isn't a viable solution. Waking up in the middle of the night with night sweats , to use the bathroom, or just to stare at the ceiling when we can’t fall back asleep are problems that impact many of us. But why do you keep waking up during the night—and is there a solution to fix the problem? Let's take a closer look as some common sleep issues and ways to improve your sleep fitness.  Why Do You Keep Waking Up? There are many reasons that people jolt awake in the middle of the night, including: Stress and Anxiety Having trouble sleeping is a common symptom of anxiety, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you know that you have anxiety, this likely isn’t news to you. But even mild forms of anxiety, certain degrees of stress, or having something worrying you ca...

If you’re like many people—especially at the start of a new year—you do everything you can to be as healthy as possible. You sweat away hours every week in the gym and watch your diet to make sure that you're physically fit.  But have you ever considered your sleep fitness? Sleep fitness is essential, and if you're not getting enough sleep or the quality of your sleep is poor, you'll experience the effects during waking hours. To help you improve your sleep fitness, here are some essential items to consider picking up. Blue Light Blocking Glasses It's no secret that staring at computer and smartphone screens all day isn't exactly beneficial. Even so, with demanding careers and busy lifestyles, abandoning these screens entirely often isn’t a viable option. Unfortunately, because light exposure is a natural trigger that tells our brain to wake up, exposure to blue light waves can throw off the body's natural circadian rhythm. To combat th...

Waking up with night sweats is one of the worst feelings. Although there are a variety of factors that can cause them, one significant reason is sleeping in an overly warm environment. Apart from the dreaded night sweats, sleeping in a hot environment can have a host of other adverse effects that can impact your daily life—especially if being too warm is keeping you from experiencing a good night’s rest on a regular basis. Experiencing a cooling sleep environment is optimal for most people. That said, let’s take a look at the benefits of sleeping cool along with some ways to improve your sleeping environment. Naturally Boost Your Metabolism If you want to become more fit, improving your sleep fitness is an excellent step. Sleeping in a cooler environment can increase the level of “good fat,” more specifically known as brown fat, in your body. With this good fat, your body will burn more calories and improve your metabolic health, which helps with weight loss while...