According to a recent U.S. News & World Report’s 360 Reviews study, Detroit ranks as the third worst U.S. city for sleep health, based on factors such as air and light pollution, noise levels, and more.
However, Detroit is not alone. According to NHLBI, 50 to 70 million Americans have sleep disorders, and 1 in 3 adults do not regularly get the recommended amount of uninterrupted sleep they need to protect their health.
Lack of quality sleep is detrimental to our health and quality of life. Although Detroit received an unfavorable ranking, there are still ways we can all improve our sleep quality.
Ways to Improve Quality of Sleep
- Maintain a consistent routine.
- It is easy to let distractions keep you from going to sleep at a reasonable time. However, the body needs to stay on a routine to get used to sleeping at the same time each day. This will help your body develop a habit of expecting sleep at a particular time.
- Keep your bedroom a bedroom.
- With the rise of work-from-home culture, more people utilize their bedroom as an office or a study spot. But when you use your bedroom for busy activities such as work, your body disassociates the bedroom with rest, which makes it harder for you to settle down and rest at the end of a long day.
- Create a quality environment for sleep.
- This will look different for everyone. Examples include using a sound machine, cooling off the temperature, and installing black-out curtains. Also, try to limit the use of screens, as LED lights keep the brain alert and awake.
- Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime.
- Consuming excessive amounts of these items will make it harder for your body to slow down at night.
- Limit naps and avoid sleeping in.
- If possible, avoid napping for prolonged periods of time or at all. Taking naps during the day makes it difficult to fall asleep at night. Additionally, sleeping in—even on the weekends—makes it challenging to maintain a routine and will throw off your body.
Interested in learning more about the importance of sleep? Click here to read an article by NIH. Think you might have a sleep disorder? Contact your primary care physician to see the best solutions for you.