7 Bedtime Behaviors That Will Help You Sleep
Today’s
generation does not give sleep much importance. The fast paced life, work, 24/7
open diners and a host of other factors have been making us stay awake at the
hours we need to sleep. The result?
Sleep
deprivation and a number of associated health risks that come along with it.
According to Huffington Post, 83.6 million Americans are sleep deprived.
There are 50 to 70 million citizens in the Nation who
suffer from some form of sleep disorder. To help them sleep better,
Americans had spent a staggering $41 billion in 2015 on sleep remedies and
aids.
Why is Sleep so Important?
45%
Americans report the lack of sleep to interfere with their daily activities.
The need to sleep better is now more prominent than ever before. Lack of sleep
can lead to a host of health complications like heart diseases, diabetes,
strokes, heart attacks, poor immunity system, digestive disorders and many
other ailments.
Sleep
deprivation also hampers the functions of your brain and takes a toll on your
thinking, learning, alertness, attention, reasoning and the ability to solve
problems. It also disrupts the formation of memory while you sleep and in the
end, dumbs you down!
Insufficient
sleep is also known to hamper your sex drive and both men and women report
lower libidos and decreased interest in sex. People with sleep disorders and
lack of sleep also develop the symptoms of depression over time, and people
with insomnia were 5 times more vulnerable towards developing depression than
normal sleepers.
Inadequate
sleep affects almost all parts of the body and its organs, and takes you
towards hell with time. It is really essential that you get your required hours
of sleep to stay alert and function normally as a human being.
Today
we will go in-depth into different aspects of sleeping hygiene, and reveal
useful and practical ways to achieve a peaceful and undisturbed night’s sleep.
7 Bed Time Tips That Help You Sleep Better
So,
how could you sleep better at night? Here are a few changes you would need to
bring in your lifestyle.
1.
Setting recognizable routines.
You
can help your body recognize that its bedtime by setting routines and repeating
them every night. For instance, make it a habit that you will clean your bed at
a particular time, just before you sleep. This will automatically program your
body to recognize that as soon as the bed is being made, it is bedtime.
2.
Take a hot shower before sleeping.
Spending
some minutes in a hot water tub, around
two hours before you sleep, results in increasing your body
temperatures, and the rapid cooling, that follows such a bath, relaxes your
body. Researchers have found that taking hot water bath before going to bed, is
more likely to put you in a deep sleep.
3.
Switch off your gadgets.
While
it cannot be denied that it is a growing trend to text friends when its
bedtime, studies have found that spending much time with your electronic devices such as laptops,
mobile phones or television, might result in increase in the amount of time you
toss and turn. This is because, it
is necessary to keep your mind empty when you sleep, and using these devices
acts as a resistance against it.
4.
Wear loose clothes.
The
body needs to be completely relaxed at the time of sleeping. It is hence
advisable to wear loose t-shirts or pajamas to bed. Also, refrain from wearing
tight undergarments to bed, and if possible just get rid of them while you
sleep. This helps in relaxing all the body- parts of the body which comforts
you on bed and helps in getting a sound sleep.
5.
Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing.
It
is necessary to maintain a quiet and relaxed aura in your bedroom, for getting
a sound sleep. This can be attained by using comfortable
mattresses together with soft linen bed-sheets, and keeping the room at a
comfortable and cool temperature. Similarly, using a warm blanket, also adds to
your comfort and helps in getting you a good sleep. Also, try to manage the
aroma of your bedroom, it should not be too strong. You may also open your
windows and place light curtains on it to maintain the flow of fresh air in
your room.
6.
Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.
Many
people have a peculiar habit of drinking some water, just before they go to
bed. This however, does not appear unhealthy, it certainly affects your health,
as it forces you to wake up at night at least once for using the loo, because
of which you are not able to get a very good sleep. So, in order to improve
your sleep, restricting fluids before bed can help."
7.
Maintain a regular exercise routine.
It
is always advised that one should maintain a basic workout regime to maintain a
healthy lifestyle. Research have also shown that exercise increases total sleep
time, which is essential for body repair and maintenance.
Don't forget about Meditation
Meditation
is the Key to a Restful Sleep
Every
one of us is aware about the benefits of meditation on our health and mind. You
don’t need to be on a spiritual path to get the benefits of meditation which
also helps you in falling asleep and having a good quality sleep.
A
study, which came out in JAMA Internal Medicine, revealed that practicing
mindfulness meditation evokes relaxation and makes you feel rejuvenated when
you wake up in the morning. The study compared two groups one of which
practices meditation and another attended sessions of sleep education. At the
end of the study, the mindfulness meditation group came out with less
depression, fatigue and insomnia than the other group.
Practicing
mindfulness meditation for 20 minutes a day using any technique you find
suitable can give you the sleep you are craving for.
The
brain area responsible for deep stage REM sleep is also strengthened by
meditation, according to neuroscientists of Massachusetts General Hospital. It
also boosts the production of melatonin, a powerful neurochemical which is
responsible for making you fall asleep. Meditation lowers your stress which
inhibits the production of the hormone melatonin and gives you a restful and
undisturbed sleep.