Springtime - the time of the year where the weather gets nicer, the days get longer and our sleep patterns change. While we all look forward to getting some fresh air outdoors after a long winter, spring can have a large effect on our quality of sleep. We’re here to explain the top ways your sleep is affected and how you can turn that around to continue to get the sleep you deserve.
1. We Sleep Worse in Warmer Air
While we love the warmer air during the daytime, our bodies don’t always love it at night time. In fact, it is proven that a person sleeps best in a cooler environment which is why people tend to sleep better in the wintertime. A few tips to help improve your sleep in the spring would be to lower the thermostat at night, close the vent in your room if you need to keep the heat up in other areas or invest in a good fan if you don’t have one already! These simple tips can dramatically improve your sleep alone.
2. Storms Disrupt Your Sleep
We all know spring is notorious for storms and while many love storms and the thrill they bring, those nighttime storms can be very disruptive to your sleep – especially if you’re a light sleeper. While storms are impossible to avoid, you can help mask the sound with a white noise machine. These machines help tone out the background noise to give you a better sleep all night long. This may also be a good solution if you sleep with a partner that snores or uses a CPAP machine.
3. With Spring Comes Allergies
Spring = Allergies. It’s plain and simple and if you suffer from allergies, you’re well aware of it too. While this seems unavoidable, there are actually many things you can do to help minimize your allergy symptoms to help sleep better at night. These include:
- Keep your sheets cleaned often – you may even consider anti-allergy bedding.
- Shower at night – this helps get rid of all allergens on your body.
- Turn up the dehumidifier – less moisture makes it harder for allergens and mold to grow.
- Keep your windows closed – you may benefit from an air-purifier or natural air-purifying plants such as an Aloe Vera plant or English Ivy.
4. Daylight Savings Time Adjustments
Spring forward! This may be a term you use to remember the dreaded time change in the spring. While this is a little harder to adapt to, many find it beneficial to get black-out curtains. These will help shut out any and all light as the days continue to get longer throughout the spring and summer.
While these are just a few ways your sleep is affected, they are some prime examples of just how much a season change can impact the quality of sleep you get. If you suffer or believe you suffer from a sleep disorder, be sure to reach out to the experts at ARC Network! We offer sleep studies and a full line of CPAP equipment to help you get the sleep you deserve.