The 10-3-2-1-0 Sleep Hack could be the solution to your sleepless nights

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over a third of American adults don’t get enough sleep. Less sleep is often associated with diabetes development of chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Maintaining good sleep hygiene can help you sleep better every night.

Creating routines around your bedtime can improve your sleep hygiene, which in turn can lead to better sleep. The 10-3-2-1-0 is one such pre-bed routine that helps your body and mind relax, prepare for sleep and ensure quality rest.

What is the 10-3-2-1-0 sleep hack?

Most adults need something good 7 to 9 hours of a good night’s sleep every night. Not getting enough sleep can increase your risk of developing serious conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and abnormal heart rhythm. Having a sleep routine can help you feel rested and ready for the next day. The 10-3-2-1-0 is a pre-bed routine that helps you relax and signals to both your body and mind that it’s time to wind down. Here you will find everything you need to know.

10 hours before bedtime: no more caffeine

Caffeine is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world. Caffeine consumption should ideally end 10 hours before bedtime, as it can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle if consumed closer to bedtime. The half-life of a single dose of caffeine is approx 3-7 hoursSo your body needs at least 10 hours to remove caffeine from your bloodstream. In addition to coffee, caffeine can also be present in other drinks, such as sports drinks, soft drinks, energy drinks, some teas and chocolate. Certainly medications may also contain caffeine. You should read the labels of the medications or drinks you take to avoid caffeine consumption around your bedtime.

3 hours before bedtime: no more food or alcohol

Although alcohol consumption before bedtime may seem relaxing, it is common disruptor of sleep. It leads to reduced sleep quality and causes you to wake up frequently during the night, ultimately making you feel tired the next day.

You should also avoid consuming certain foods 3 hours before bedtime as this can lead to stomach upset heartburn (acid reflux) and disrupt sleep. Some such foods are fried, spicy and high-fat foods. You may also want to avoid foods with high levels added sugars such as sweets, cookies and desserts as these can also lead to poor sleep quality.

2 hours before bedtime: no more work

Maybe you want that end all work-related activities 2 hours before bedtime to ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Relaxing your mind can help you prepare for sleep. That’s possible excercise meditation, muscle relaxation and journaling to calm your mind after work. This helps create a buffer time zone between your work and sleep time, allowing your brain to slow down and promoting better sleep quality.

1 hour before bedtime: no more screens

You should avoid using smartphones, televisions, computers, tablets, or other devices that emit blue light 1 hour before bedtime. The human sleep-wake cycle is quite dependent on sunlight. When it is clear, people are alert. On the other hand, when the sun sets and it gets dark outside, your body produces a hormone called “solar radiation.” melatonin.

The blue light from electronic devices resembles sunlight, which often makes the body think it is still daytime. This causes your body to produce less melatonin, disrupt the normal sleep-wake cycle. The longer you expose yourself to screens, the more it affects your sleep.

Don’t hit snooze in the morning

Hitting the snooze button can disrupt your sleep cycle, making you feel uncomfortable more tired. It is often better to get up with one alarm clock. Sleep between alarms is often fragmented and of low quality, which is possible decrease your overall alertness and motivation throughout the day. Besides making you tired, snooze alarms can also make you late for your daily activities.

Other sleep hygiene tips

A few common tips that will help you maintain your sleep hygiene and ensure good sleep quality every night are:

• Keep electronics out of the bedroom: Keeping electronics out of your bedroom ensures you’re not exposed to blue light, which can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle.
• Create a routine: By creating a sleep routine, you prepare your body and mind for sleep. It signals your body that it is time to go to sleep, ensuring you get timely, quality sleep.
• Avoid nighttime exercises: Although exercise is good for your health, doing it 1 to 2 hours before bed can disrupt your sleep. Exercise just before your bedtime can increase your heart rate, adrenaline levels and body temperature, making it difficult to fall asleep.
• Keep afternoon naps to 30 or less: Keeping your naps to 30 minutes or less can help stop this energetic during the day. However, longer naps can disrupt your normal sleep time and leave you feeling lethargic and disoriented.
• Make your bedroom dark: Making your bedroom dark ensures high-quality sleep. Even low light can increase the risk of nighttime awakenings and disrupt your sleep cycle.
• Don’t watch TV or scroll on your phone in bed: Scrolling on your phone or watching TV in bed exposes you to blue light, which can lead to a longer time to fall asleep and poor sleep quality.
• Relax before going to bed: Finishing your thoughts before going to bed ensures that your mind is calm and your body prepares to fall asleep. This in turn ensures that you get a good night’s sleep and don’t wake up.

Try this bedtime routine tonight

Better sleep means a better quality of life, along with better mood, improved productivity and less stress. Instead of tossing and turning in your bed, try this 10-3-2-1-0 sleep routine. Although it’s difficult to get used to any routine, starting with small changes to your bedtime routine can help you stick with it. Hopefully this routine will help you wind down and make it easier to fall asleep and get a good night’s sleep.