You’ve probably heard it all before: quality sleep is important. It fuels your body to function at its best and it helps you stay in tiptop shape. Sadly, not everyone gets a good night’s sleep every time they hit the hay. A huge chunk of the population live their lives much like zombies do: powering through the day groggy and with their heads on the cloud.
However, there are also those lucky few with healthy sleep hygiene. These folks can get a good night’s sleep without a fuss and can easily fall asleep without having to be super tired or taking any prescription drugs to doze off. You might even be one of these people who gets good night’s sleep regularly and not know it.
How would you know if you’ve had a good night’s sleep, though? Here are some signs that can easily tell you if you’re sleeping better.
No More Alarms
Waking up naturally at the right time every day is one of the best signs that you’re sleeping well. This means that your body has been able to adjust to your daily routine and that you’ve finally set your Circadian rhythm according to your activities. It also means that you’ve finally achieved the right amount of sleep, so you’re all ready to face the day by the time you wake up.
The best thing about waking up sans any alarm is that you don’t have to be jolted awake just to come back into consciousness. This means that you’ve completed sleep cycles and your sleep isn’t disrupted. Completed sleep cycles are very important for your body and brain to complete their tasks that can only be done when you’re snoozing, letting you heal, consolidate memories, and boost your immune system properly.
According to experts, relying on alarm clocks to wake you up can also be harmful to your health. Alarm clocks have zero idea when your sleep cycles are being completed, so they’ll just go off at the designated time regardless of whether you’re still in the middle of REM sleep or not. This often results to feeling disoriented upon waking up or feeling tired and groggy as soon as you wake up, making some feel like their sleep is pretty useless in giving them their much needed rest. So make sure to strive to get woken up naturally, as it is the ultimate sign that you’ve gotten a good night’s sleep.
Pain-Free Mornings
Waking up without any pains and aches in your body is also a great sign that you were able to sleep well. These body aches are common signs of an uncomfortable bed or sleeping position, so you end up with pulled muscles and sore pressure points.
Most of the time, your body pains and aches are caused by your mattress. It’s highly likely that your mattress don’t provide ample support and keep your spine properly aligned, causing your back to bend and curve unnaturally all night long. What you should do is to look for a mattress that can provide proper back support. Dormeo mattresses take pride in providing great back support with their products contouring according to the shape of your body, so every nook and cranny gets ample resistance and give, allowing you to get truly comfortable.
If you happen to wake up pain-free every morning, it means that you’ve had a good and comfortable sleep. It will also make you feel well rested, giving you the energy to face the day.
Decaf Preferred
A lot of people rely on a lot of coffee to start their day. If you’re not one of these folks, it’s most likely because you’ve had a good night’s sleep. All of these can be traced back to the molecule adenosine which causes tiredness and sleepiness in people. Sleep lessens the amount of adenosine in the body, while caffeine tricks the nerve cells into believing that it is adenosine and gets bound to adenosine receptors. This, then allows the caffeine to increase neuron activity in the brain and force the pituitary glands to release the hormones needed to alert the adrenal glands to produce adrenaline and give you the jolt to be more alert and energetic. This is how caffeine gives people a burst of energy that most people rely on to start their day.
If you don’t need caffeine to start your day, it means that the amount of zzz’s you’ve had was enough to scale down your adenosine levels. It’s also a much better way to power your day as adrenaline tends to wear off and leave you feeling more tired. This makes sleep still a much better option in fueling the body as compared to caffeine.
Woke Up Like This
If you woke up feeling great and selfie-ready (maybe even if not really), it also means that you’ve had a good night’s sleep. This is a good sign that you’ve gotten enough rest, that your slumber wasn’t disrupted, and you were able to complete sleep cycles. Achieving these will let you feel more rested, so you can easily feel great and ready for the day ahead.
Do you wake up every morning experiencing these things? If yes, congratulations! You sleep well and keep up the good job.