How to get a better night sleep
A good night sleep is equally as good for your health as exercising or eating healthy food. In fact, if you want make positive changes to your performance, brain function or hormone balance, researchers say a good night sleep is one of the major factors that can influence this.
At The Palms Resort in Spain we take this very serious and a good night sleep is high on the agenda.
These 7 fact checked sleeping tips have been taken into account when designing the rooms at our resort to ensure you will get the best sleep possible:
1. Make sure you get plenty of bright light exposure during the day
Your body has a natural time-keeping clock (circadian rhythm) that will tell your brain when it’s time to be awake, and when it’s time to sleep.
Natural sunlight or bright light during the day helps your body clock function at its best. It knows when it’s light, we have to be active, when it’s dark, we need to rest.
How does The Palms Resort Help?
We have plenty of open outdoor spaces for you to enjoy. There are the tropical gardens, lounge areas, pool area or hammocks where you can relax, so you can take in as much light and Spanish sun as you possible need.
We also arrange many outdoor activities and excursions, keeping you out of your room and into the light during the day. Once it is time for bed, you will find you sleep like a newborn!
2. Make sure your room is dark and quiet
By eliminating external light and noise, you will increase your chances to a better sleep by 50%. Don’t just block our natural light, also artificial lights like your TV standby light, your phone chargers, and digital alarm clocks.
Noises too are not helping you get a better sleep. Road noise in particular, but even background noises you normally just take for granted, think of a washing machine that you run overnight, the dishwasher or the buzzing sound of a computer that is on standby. You might not notice this at first, but they definitely impact your sleep on a daily basis
How does The Palms Resort help?
At the palms we have shutters for all our windows blocking out any light that could interrupt your sleep. We have electrical outlets in the bathroom so you can charge your devices there instead of next to your bed, and you can arrange a “Wake Up Knock” on the door if you wish to be woken up at a specific time.
Since The Palms Resort is located in the country-side, the most noise you will even hear is that of birds singing in the morning or the occasional stray dog in the wilderness, but other than that you should have a perfectly peaceful sleep!
3. Control your bedroom temperature
Your body temperature as well as bedroom temperature can severely impact your quality of sleeping. Especially when you are in a hot location like Spain, it is imperative you make sure the bedroom is at the right temperature to make sure you have the best night sleep.
The optimal sleeping temperature is around 20º though some people like it colder than others!
How does The Palms Resort Help?
We offer 3 ways to cool down / heat up at night.
- We have fully opening windows each with a mosquito screen to keep the cool air coming in, but keep those pesky bugs out!
- We have airconditioning in each room. Even though we offer this service, it is not recommended to use the airconditioning while you sleep as it may actually be counterproductive…
- We have a ceiling fan positioned above every bed in each of our rooms. Much preferred over the air conditioning, less noisy and healthier for you too!
- We have quality bed sheets that optimise your body temperature at night.
4. Relax & Clear your mind before bed
It is important to switch off from daily life before you go to sleep. Worries and stress can keep you up all night and will have an adverse affect on your quality of sleep.
Research shows that having a relaxing massage before you go to sleep, a hot shower or bath or meditation, reading a book or doing breathing exercises all help you get to that perfect sleeping state.
How does The Palms Resort help?
Apart from daily yoga classes, we also offer meditations and breathing exercises that you can repeat before you go to sleep. Furthermore, we have a fantastic massage therapist and 2 lovely private treatment rooms.
We also have a hot jacuzzi that seats up to 6 people and will definitely help you sleep better, or just take a shower in your private en-suite bathroom before bed. It will do wonders!
5. Comfortable bed, mattress & bedding
Study says that a good mattress will significantly improve your sleep pattens. It reduces back pain by some 57%, shoulder pain by 60%, back stiffness by 5% and improves sleep quality by 60%. But it is not just the mattress, pillows help too and don’t forget quality sheets!
Depending on how you like to sleep, on your side, front or back, you need to choose your pillow wisely. Get a thicker more sturdy one for side sleepers, a thinner softer one for front sleepers, and if you sleep on your back, get one that is slightly thicker but still very soft so your neck doesn’t get affected.
Some say that sleeping without a pillow if you sleep on your front or back is the best solution.
How does The Palms Resort help?
We have carefully chosen our mattresses, sheets and pillows. You will have a choice fo pillows and the sheets are of good quality making sure they breathe and don’t make you too hot, especially in the summer months.
Our mattresses have also been chosen carefully, not too soft but definitely not too hard! They have been rigorously tested by our own staff making sure you only get the very best option for the best night sleep!
6. Exercise regularly – but not before bed!
Regular exercise is equally as important as a good night sleep. The combination of both is optimal, but don’t worry, you are not expected to run a marathon every morning to get to that good night sleep!
Exercise has been known to reduce symptoms of insomnia and a study with older adults found that having exercised during the day reduced the time to fall asleep almost in halve adding some 40 minutes more to their sleep!
How does The Palms Resort help?
We offer a variety of exercise options including yoga classes in the morning. We don’t recommend doing the exercise too late in the day as this will have an opposite effect on your sleep quality, so the mornings are better for all.
We can also offer pilates and other exercises, so do ask us about the options so you can sleep better!
7. Don’t consume caffeine late in the day
Are you an avid coffee drinker? Or do you like a nice English brew once in a while? Of course, drinking caffeinated coffee or tea in the morning will help you focus better, give you more energy and enhance your sports performance, but did you know caffeine can stay in your body for at least 6 to 8 hours?
This means, when consumed after 3/4 pm, it could significantly affect your sleep!
Therefore it is not recommended to drink caffeinated drinks after 4PM (and that includes caffeine infused soft drinks or sweets!) and stick to decaf or herbal teas instead.
How does The Palms Resort help?
We have a vast selection of flavoursome herbal teas that will stimulate your sleep. Think of Chamomile tea, Valerian Root, Lavender and Passion Flower tea.
You have access to the shared kitchen area all day so you can drink as many herbal teas your heart desires. Make yourself a nice cup of tea to take to bed. You will feel all the better for it in the morning!
So now you know how to get a better sleep, and have 7 more reasons to come visit The Palms Resort in Spain to achieve that optimal sleep you have been craving. Of course there are plenty more reasons to visit us, but sleep is important so we’ve got you covered!
