If you want to get the best quality sleep, meditating for 30 minutes before bedtime is the best way to foster great quality shuteye.
That’s according to recent research by online casino Betway, who tested 14 different activities over a two-week period to discover which ones were conducive to a good night’s sleep.
They found that participants who meditated for just half an hour before bed slept an average of eight hours and four minutes per night.
The study also produced definitive answers about which pre-bedtime activities people should avoid if they want to sleep well. Let’s take a closer look.
Ditch the digital devices
The research found that participants spent the longest amount of time in light sleep after scrolling through social media on a digital device.
Playing mobile games before sleep also scored badly, causing significant disruption to both the quality and duration of sleep enjoyed by people.
Both activities keep the mind overly active, a factor which makes it significantly more difficult to achieve great quality sleep.
The emission of blue light from digital devices is also an issue, as this can cause serious disruption to a person’s circadian rhythm.
Avoid over exerting yourself
While undertaking regular physical activity is great for our health and wellbeing, it is inadvisable to over exert yourself in the run-up to bedtime.
Of the activities included in the study, doing a home workout for 30 minutes before sleep caused participants to spend the most time awake at night.
The average time spent sleeping each night was just six hours and 40 minutes, below the recommended amount needed by adults.
By contrast, participants who listened to relaxing music before bedtime spent an average of eight hours and 18 minutes asleep per night.
Don’t chat with family or friends
Chatting with family or friends before bedtime is ranked as the third worst activity you can undertake if you want to enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Participants who engaged with their nearest and dearest in the run-up to bedtime slept for an average of just six hours and 37 minutes per night.
The poor result will likely be linked to the activity keeping the mind too active, the use of digital devices to communicate and possible worries generated by the chat.
On that basis, if you are planning on chatting with family or friends in the evening, it makes sense not to make this the last thing you do before bedtime.
Be mindful of the television content you watch
Although many people wind down from the stresses and strains of daily life by watching television at night, the content consumed could have a major impact on the quality of their sleep.
The aforementioned study gave participants four different types of programmes to watch – horror films, true crime, news and comedy films.
Unsurprisingly, the first three featured among the worst four things you can do immediately before going to bed.
Watching comedy films was the exception to the rule, as their light-hearted nature puts people in a more positive and relaxed mindset.
