How to improve sleep schedule? | Four habits that can ruin your night as well as the next day
In this Blog, I am going to share with you some of the most common mistakes that
we make at night time that disturb our sleep and make us wake up tired
and groggy the next day. So without any further delay, let’s get started.
Hello Friends! Welcome to Healthy Sapians. In the evening, there are some common mistakes that disturb our sleep.
1) Consuming a sleep inhibitor.
The thing with tea, coffee and other
stimulants is that they make you alert, quite the opposite of what you would want in the evening
when it's actually time to slow down. Well, it depends on person to person but generally, a gap
of 6–8 hours is advised. Alcohol, although has an immediate sedative effect on the body but messes
up your sleep cycles not allowing you to go deeper into sleep. Even working out close to bedtime,
as it excites the body and mind can act as an obstacle. However, working out during the day
or any other physical activity will actually help you fall asleep at night faster. On the contrary,
if you sluggishly pass the whole day and more so take a long nap in the afternoon,
you are asking for a sleepless night. It’s best to avoid sleeping in the afternoon, but if you
can’t do without it, ensure that it’s for not more than 20–30 minutes.
2) Having a large heavy close to bedtime.
Big meals might temporarily make you feel drowsy but prolong
digestion which interferes with a good night's sleep. It's like overloading someone with work
and then asking him to take rest. Such mixed signals fuel the flame of acidity and heartburn.
On the flip side, going to bed hungry might not be a great idea either as you may find yourself
in the kitchen in the middle of the night. Keep a gap of at least 3 hours between dinner and sleep
and make sure it is light and filling. Talking about mistakes that we do post-dinner,
one is to directly hop on the bed without winding up. It’s like suddenly pulling the breaks at
a high speed. Not an ideal experience. Is it? Before getting on that bed, quickly declutter
and organise your room. Studies have shown that decluttering the room, declutters the mind as
well promoting better sleep. You can go for a slow walk post-dinner. That too has an instant
calming effect on the mind. Although, if you are in the mood to sit back and watch something on TV
or on your laptop, it's best if you choose a different place rather than your bed. Try to keep
your bed only for sleeping. Hooked on to screens, we often tend to procrastinate our time to sleep.
Don’t do this mistake. Studies show that when we sleep at almost the same time every night, a bio
clock sets in and we automatically begin to feel sleepy at that time. However, if you don’t want to
compromise the quality of your sleep try to sleep in between 9 PM and 7 AM.
3) Drinking a lot of water before sleeping
A few sips are ok but chugging water is like preparing
for toilet trips in the middle of the night. Just before going to sleep, if you watch or read
sensational stuff, you are inviting disturbed sleep. In fact, falling asleep to Tv or texting
is a mistake we should avoid come what may. The blue light from these gadgets suppresses
the production of melatonin, the key hormone for inducing sleep. So, say goodnight to your phone,
Tv and laptop at least 1 hour before you hit the bed. Setting a reminder to prepare for
sleep is a saviour. Not creating the right kind of environment for sleep is also a mistake. Studies
suggest that it is easier to sleep in a cool room rather than a hot one. An effective way to reduce
the temperature instantly is to take a quick bath or simply wash your face, eyes and feet.
The calming effect produced is worth the effort. Prefer wearing loose cotton clothes. It is also
advisable to brush your teeth or at least clean the tongue. Missing it out, you are giving a free
entry to bacteria to come and erode your enamel for the 7–8 hours that you will be sleeping.
Also, not peeing just before going to bed, you are likely to be interrupted in the middle of
the night. Just before sleep, the last thing that you would want is to get into an argument
with somebody. Remember, the mood in which you sleep is the food for your subconscious mind.
That is why it’s not the time to overthink about bitter experiences or plan for future. If you
are worried about the next, its best to quickly jot down the things to do and switch to slumber.
If you struggle with overthinking, you can listen to calming music, practice positive affirmations,
do very slow alternate nostril breathing, or simply, choose a comfortable position
to sleep and keep a mild focus on your breath.
4) keeping your phone next to you while sleeping
It’s like keeping iron next to a magnet. It might entice
you to log on to social media when you should be in a deep slumber. So, keep them away and ensure
it is in airplane or silent mode. Also, if your phone would be away from you, you have no choice
but to get up in the morning to turn off the alarm. And if by chance you find yourself tossing
and turning in the bed, avoid the temptation to pick up your phone whether it is check the time
or any other thing. It will do no good rather it will instantly send stress signals to your brain
reducing the chances of a good sleep. So, these in my opinion were some of the
common mistakes that if you avoid you will begin to sleep in a jiffy that too deeply,
you will feel way more restful and energetic the next day and your personality will emanate
positivity and calmness.
Tags:
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