Improve Sleeping Routines.
Just like food
or water, sleep is a biological necessity for life and health. Research shows
that the hours we spend sleeping are incredibly important and far from passive.
During sleep, your body is busy fighting off viruses and other pathogens,
operating a waste removal system to clean the brain, looking for cancer cells
and getting rid of them, repairing injured tissues, and forming vital memories
that are essential for learning. Getting enough sleep can improve mental
health, mood, and ability to think and make good decisions. It is important for
the functioning of our heart and other organs.
1. Give proper time to sleep
Go to bed and
get up at about the same times every day, including days off. Ideally, you
should go to bed early enough that you don’t need an alarm to wake up. During
the day, get some exercise. Even a 10-minute walk will improve sleep, and more
is better. Plan on finishing exercise at least 3 hours before sleep is planned.
Between work, a social life, and other obligations, it often seems like there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. For many people, this leads to dinner being pushed until later and later in the evening. Along with increasing the likelihood of snacking in between dinner and lunch, late-night meals have another drawback: they can keep you awake. Large meals, especially meals containing foods that are spicy, greasy, or high in fat, can take a long time to digest.
2. Where your sleep matters.
· Have a good sleep environment that is very dark, quiet, cool, and comfortable.
· Make the bedroom very dark, blocking out any lights in the room (especially blue and white lights).
· Cover the windows with opaque window covering if necessary. Use an eye mask if it’s hard to avoid lights from traffic or streetlamps.
· Use soft earplugs if your sleep environment is noisy.
· Have a comfortably cool room temperature—about 65º to 68º F for most of us—and use covers.
· Have a comfortable mattress and pillow.
· Do not let pets or phones disturb your sleep.
3. Use your sleep space for only two things.
To condition
your brain to relax when you go into the bedroom, use it only for sleep and
intimacy. Do not watch TV, read, or work in the bedroom. Follow a relaxing
routine 1.5 hours before bedtime to help your body make the transition from
being awake to falling asleep. Consider setting an alarm 1.5 hours before
bedtime to start preparing for sleep.
Don’t expose
your eyes to computer or phone screens. Avoid excitement like watching an
action movie or reading upsetting news stories. Brushing your teeth, washing
your face, and getting into a pre-sleep routine will help you relax. Transition
to dim lighting during this time (for example, don’t use a bright light in the
bathroom).
Healthy
satisfying sleep results in a better mood and better life.
