Tips to Get More and Better Sleep for Those in the Medical Industry

Steven Rogers -

If you’re in the medical industry, the odds are that you’re not getting enough sleep, and the quality of the sleep you are getting is not great.

That’s not your fault, it’s an unfortunate reality of the industry for many, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do what you can to mitigate the effects.

If you’re working in the medical industry, this article aims to help you achieve the sleep you deserve and need to perform your best at work.

You know that you need sleep to be your best, and you’ll feel much better once you take steps to get it.

Your Bed

If your bed is of low quality, you’re going to have problems sleeping.

It can cause both a lack of quality and quantity of sleep and both of those are going to wear you down in major ways.

You’re putting in long and stressful hours at work, so you need to make sure that you’re getting the rest you need to put you back up to 100% when you come home.

You can’t afford to experience a slow decline due to a lack of proper rest.

Make sure you purchase a high-quality bed and mattress so that your back and neck get the proper support that they need.

The medical industry can be highly taxing on the body, so you, of all people, need to make sure that you’re giving your body the time to recover to be your best at work.

Consider getting a gel mattress topper so that you can have an even better rest.

It’s essential that you do everything that you can to make your bed as comfortable as it can be.

Try getting a sleep recording app so you can see if you’re sleeping through the night or not.

This will give you a good idea of where you stand and how much work you need to do to get where you need to be.

Sleep Hygiene

If you’re not familiar with the term, sleep hygiene refers to your behaviors around the act of sleeping itself.

For example:

  • Don’t drink caffeinated beverages past noon, or perhaps even earlier, depending on how hard it hits you. Caffeine can seriously damage your sleep and prevent you from reaching deeper and more restful sleep cycles.

  • Don’t expose yourself to bright screens close to your bedtime. These screens can trick your body into thinking it’s still near daytime and prevent you from approaching a restful state.

  • Do try to stimulate yourself both mentally and physically throughout the day, so you’re able to hit the hay with an exhausted state of being.

  • Don’t do other things in bed like read or watch movies on your laptop, your body will stop associating your bed solely with sleep, which can cause confusion when it comes time to go to sleep.

  • Don’t do anything right before bed that will agitate you or causes you to have trouble getting to sleep. Try to stick to simple and relaxing activities leading up to bedtime.

  • Do keep to a consistent schedule; switching up your schedule is liable to cause a lot of issues with your sleeping that you just don’t need. Our bodies love to stick to the same schedule as much as possible, so make sure you give your body what it wants.

  • Establish a set routine that you do right before bedtime, and make sure you’re consistent. If you brush your teeth, then floss, then read, then make sure you do that in the same order every night.

Exercise

Proper exercise is a huge part of making sure you sleep well at night.

If you do 30 minutes or even an hour of cardio a day, you’ll be much more likely to sleep soundly through the night.

The same can be said for lifting weights.

You’ll be getting great exercise and getting nice and tired for bed as well.

Exercise is one of the best ways to improve your quality of sleep and ensure that you get to bed sooner in the evenings.

Time Management

This one can be tougher than the rest, but if you want to get 8 hours of sleep, you have to go to bed in time to make that happen.

If you’re serious about improving your quantity of sleep, you’re going to need to plan your day around it.

This is easier said than done, and sometimes you’re not going to be able to find the full 8 hours, but by doing your absolute best, you should be able to achieve your goals more often than not.

Don’t neglect your sleep by planning your day around sleep and work first and everything else second.

Don’t give up hours of sleep to watch a new show, the show will still be there tomorrow, but you’ll pay for skipping those hours of sleep.

Remove Your Stressors

This is another example that can be much easier said than done, but try to remove the sources of stress in your life that you can.

For example, if you’re worried about something you have to do, just simply do it and get it out of the way.

Stress is one of the biggest causes of lost sleep, and it’s one that’s very avoidable.

As someone in the medical profession, you carry more stress than most, so it’s going to be even more critical that you do what you can to mitigate it.

For example, if you have recertification coming up, then consider doing it online.

Promed is a company that offers online certification for all of your required medical certs.

It’s a stress-free solution that will help you do the things you need to do while keeping your stress levels to a minimum.

This is a great way to make sure you get the best sleep you can.