Sleep should be a priority for everyone. Without good sleep, everything else in your daily life will shift out of balance. Think about it, the start of everyday depends on good sleep and each day ends when you go to bed. Besides maybe work, sleep consumes the largest portion of our lives. It's recommended that the average person gets 7 hours of sleep per day minimum [1]. Around 40% of Americans are not getting enough sleep, this is a serious problem for health and well being. Here are some tips to get better sleep:
Sleep Debt
Many of us sacrifice sleep for other aspects of our lives (work, family, entertainment, etc.). But sleep isn't something that can be depleted without serious consequences. Lack of sleep can cause a decrease in awareness, reaction speed, cognitive thinking, and overall happiness throughout the day. Sleep quality is like currency. Each day, we are allotted a certain amount of currency based on the sleep our restfulness and sleep quality from the previous night. We can spend the so-called 'sleep currency' on activities throughout the day: work, exercise, school, etc. . When we don't get enough sleep, we go into sleep debt and start drawing a negative balance. Like all debt, eventually it catches up to you and serious health problems can occur. Essentially, sleep has value! Don't skimp on sleep because you think it's less important than some other activity, prioritize it.
Black Out
Your sleep environment is important, sleep without distractions. Turn off lights and screens, put shades on your windows, and remove all stimulating sources from your room when you sleep. Make sure your room is quiet and a comfortable temperature. Creating a comfortable sleeping environment can dramatically improve your quality and duration of sleep. Moreover, distractions immediately before you go to bed can have consequences on your sleep quality. Put away your phones and avoid harsh emitting lights ~1-2 hours before you go to bed.
Citations
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/data-research/facts-stats/adults-sleep-facts-and-stats.html