The Hows and Whys of Getting a Better Sleep

Sleep is a very important aspect of life. The reason for this is because sleep will impact every other part of your life, including the way you look, the way you carry yourself and your attitude. This is why we include it in what we call metafashion.

Sleep is strongly correlated with beauty, as being rested will show in your skin, your hair and other areas (hence the expression beauty sleep), but a good sleep can do a lot more for you than just improve your looks. Sleeping well will make you be more alert and fresh and it will even make your immune system work better.

Moreover, a good night's sleep will help you lose weight, it can give you a clearer mind both in the long and the short run, and, due to all of these factors, it can make you even live longer.

Therefore, it is crucial to know how to get a great sleep.

Taking just a few measures before going to bed will help you have a better outlook of the world, it will make you feel more rested and it will improve your concentration and productivity.

Without further ado, here are our five easy-to-do things you can do to get a better sleep:

Turning off the lights might be one of the easiest and more effective ways to get a better sleep. When we are trying to sleep, even the slightest light can enter our eyelids and make us feel that it is day again, and therefore messing with our rest. Many people sleep in rooms where they have digital clocks and other technology items that feature small lights. Even though these lights are small and apparently benign, they can have a very big impact on your sleep. This is why it is important to switch off the hallway lights too.

Also, if there are lights from the street coming inside your bedroom, we recommend getting some strong curtains that will not let the light pass, unless you open them.

If turning off all the lights seems too much work, you can wear an old-fashioned eye mask, which costs around $4 - $7 and that can be bought at any drug store. This will signal your brain that it is night and will allow it to rest comfortably.

Getting a good rest will improve your productivity and concentration and the results will be visible immediately.

Another crucial thing to do if you want to get a good sleep is to only sleep in high-quality beddings. The materials, textures and the overall feel of your pillows and sheets have an immediate impact on the quality of your sleep. The only issue with this is that, with so many products that claim to offer you a better sleep, it is hard to find a brand that offers high-quality beddings for real. Our recommendation is SmartSilk. On their website, smartsilk.com, you can find great products that will enhance the quality of your sleep.

Another measure you can take to get a better sleep is to go to bed and wake up at (approximately) the same time every day. Doing so will train your body when the right time to sleep is and when it is not, and this will make you more balanced and relaxed. Think about it: varying your sleeping times too much will make your body need to readjust to new sleeping intervals every day and this can result in feeling like having a strong jet lag every day, - therefore your body will never be able to adapt to the "new time zone" and you will always feel out of place.

You often hear that one should sleep in extreme silence, but this is not necessarily the case. It all actually comes down to what you are accustomed to. Basically, people who normally sleep in very quiet environments, should always make it very quiet before going to sleep, while people who usually hear the city sounds (and like it), if they find themselves in a new environment, should make a little noise by either letting the radio quietly play or play an ambient sound recording.

Of course, it is recommended that you should always sleep in an as quiet as possible environment, but, if you are accustomed to the noise, go for it. This is especially important for athletes or for people who work out a lot. Sleeping well can even maximize your athletic performance, so you should see it as a part of your training process.

Given that most people engage in one way or the other with bright lights such as computer screens every day, it is important to have a moment to disconnect from these stimuli at the end of the day. Reading, even if done for only a few minutes, can help you distress and make your brain feel less alert, which is what it needs right before sleeping.

It is recommended to read from a book and not from a device that has a bright screen (certain digital devices work too), as the whole purpose of this activity is to relax your brain, which is always stimulated by artificial light.

Getting a good sleep will help you feel and look better, so there is no reason not to follow these steps.

Moreover, not sleeping enough can cause sleep deprivation, which can make night terrors and confusional arousals worse, so if you already suffer from any of these or from insomnia, you should take some measures to get a better sleep.

Sleeping in better beddings, turning off the lights and sleeping during the same timeframe will help you with the consolidation of your memory, it will help stabilize your blood sugar level and it will have a tremendous impact on the way your skin, hair, teeth, nails, and other parts look.

But most of all, it will brighten your mood and give you confidence in yourself, which is the basis of everything else.

Fraquoh and Franchomme