Why Cheese and Bedtime Is a Really Bad Combo

If you feel cold whenever you sleep no matter how heavy your duvet is, also called a comforter or quilt, try layering. These may be less heavy comforters compared with the ones you normally use, but in case you have 2 of them, the air gets trapped in between the layers keeping you warmer. Even if the comforters feel really lightweight, you’ll feel warm. So, if it’s hot, don’t go beyond only one duvet. By the way, today some comforters can literally hug you. You’ll look a bit like a caterpillar in a cocoon, but trust me — that’s going to be a night of quality sleep.

One more trick to sleep easily even during the hottest night is to crawl under a wet blanket. Use this hack carefully! In case it’s not THAT hot outside, you risk getting a cold! For those who don’t wanna use this trick, there are cooling mattresses, like this one.

One thing that should never be wet when you go to sleep is your hair. Not only does it cause hair damage and extra tangling, but it also can weaken your immune system and even cause dandruff (ugh). By the way, sleeping in a satin bonnet like this can bring your hair to a brand-new level. It won’t be tangled, and as you won’t rub it against the pillow, the hair will be much smoother and silkier.

In Guatemala, they have worry dolls that help them sleep better. Whenever they’re worried or concerned about something, they can share those problems with a doll and put that doll under the pillow. According to the legend, these dolls carry all the troubles away and help sleep soundly. If you put one under your pillow too, the next morning you wake up totally unburdened. Your fav teddy bear could perfectly replace that doll.

Hey, if you experience nightmares from time to time, make sure you don’t eat cheese before you go to sleep. Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s a scientifically proven fact. The thing is, cheese has a lot of bacterial cultures, and they reportedly can cause weird dreams. Blue cheese has the worst reputation here, probably because it has an incredible amount of bacterial cultures.

While cheese is a big no for a good night’s sleep, there are a bunch of products that can do the opposite. For example, berries. These superfoods can boost your productivity, so here’s a fun fact about how to choose them. Basically, most berries contain antioxidants that help increase motor skills and work wonders for your memory, but the darker the berries are, the more antioxidants they contain. Blueberries are a great choice. Keep in mind that the time when you eat matters a lot. It’s better to avoid food for at least one hour before you go to sleep. Hearty meals will be too heavy for any digestive system in the evening. The food in the evening should be light.

Also, a study showed something fun. Eating breakfast for dinner is really helpful for those who want to fall asleep faster. Bananas, eggs, and toast are packed with potassium, protein, and carbs respectively. All these elements can help relax and aid sleep. So consider having a brinner if you’ve had a hard time falling asleep.

China seems to be a dream destination for many people, but I guess those who tend to doze a bit after a hearty lunch will love it the most. People actually are allowed to have a nap at work and it is a part of the corporate culture. One ticket to Beijing! If you can’t go to China right now, China may come to you to bring you something for a good night’s sleep.

You’ve heard about acupuncture, right? So, you can get these nice acupressure clips. It can help relieve stress and headaches, so you’ll sleep better! At nighttime, light is super uncomfortable, but as strange as it may seem, you do need some light to sleep well. Let me explain it a bit. If you don’t have enough sunlight during the day, it will be harder to fall asleep and the sleep quality might be poor. A study revealed that 2 hours of light exposure a day boosts sleep efficiency by 80%. The amount of sleep increases roughly by 2 hours.

You should definitely avoid blue light for at least two hours before you go to sleep. Most electronic devices such as TV, laptops, and smartphones emit it. Blue light tricks your brain into thinking it’s still day, that’s why it doesn’t let you sleep well. If you can’t fall asleep without scrolling the feed, you might want to wear these glasses while doing it.

Hey, how productive are you? If you still feel tired after an 8-hour night’s sleep, you may wanna try a sleep schedule that Leonardo diCapr— I mean, Leonardo Da Vinci used. He would sleep for 20 minutes only, but every 4 hours. They say it was one of his productivity secrets. One of the drawbacks of this scheme was that it’s pretty hard to concentrate on long-term projects this way. I mean, this guy made a ton of cool things, he definitely knew something about productivity.

Another great mind, Nikola Tesla wasn’t very much into sleeping just like Da Vinci. He stuck to the same Uberman sleep cycle that Leonardo used and never slept more than a couple of hours a day. He claimed to have been working for 84 hours in a row once! Maybe we all sleep too much, after all? Some people split their day into two parts. It helps them get more things done in 24 hours. For example, some former presidents had 2 “shifts” in a day: they would wake up at around 7 am, work until 2 pm, and then they would have an afternoon nap. At 4 pm they would normally start the second “shift”, working until the morning. Right, those famous people’s sleeping schedules may not inspire you much.

However, you still wanna improve the quality of your sleep. So here’s your piece of advice: use tin foil. Some people simply use dark shades, but you can try wrapping tin foil around your windows. It will both reflect the unwanted light and keep the heat away if the summer is just getting unbearable. Anyway, the best sleep you can get is at night. Still, if you can’t help falling asleep during the daytime, make sure to set an alarm clock for not more than 20 minutes.

Another way to overcome this sleepiness is to take a short walk. A glass of icy water can take your drowsiness away too. In case you just need a nap during the day, make sure you have it no later than 5 p.m. Otherwise you’ll find it really difficult to fall asleep in the evening and you’ll probably stay up all night.

It’s not only a good night’s sleep to make you productive. Even mere chewing gum can do that! If you’re chewing gum, it’ll increase your productivity by about 10%. If chewing gum is part of your daily habits, it might help you boost your cognitive abilities. It also lowers the level of all the stress hormones and keeps you awake.

Watch out for caffeine! It can both keep you energetic and disturb your sleep. Remember that not only coffee contains it. Always check the labels if you’re not sure about the contents. Even chocolate has some small amounts of caffeine, but it can be enough to affect your sleep. Extra tip: 100% decaf coffee doesn’t exist. Usually, decaf is about 97% of the caffeine removed. Try not to drink anything at least 2 hours before you go to sleep if you’re tired of waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Sometimes it can be really challenging to fall back asleep again, so, with 1 glass of water, you risk staring idly at the ceiling.

Cats and dogs are cuddly, but many folks are convinced — beds are for humans only! Pets can bring dander, fleas, a lot of fur, pollen, and other allergens. A special trainer might help you teach your pet to sleep in its own bed. Yeah, good luck with that. My dog, Piper, starts out in her own bed, but magically ends up in my bed somewhere in the night. But it’s okay. If you find it almost impossible to fall asleep, you’re probably not tired. If you just don’t fall asleep in 20 minutes, you should probably get up and do something relaxing. Some nice calming music will do. Good night, y’all!