Sleep Hygiene: 7 Guidelines For Better Sleep
There are many factors that influence our sleep. From the ambient temperature in our room to what we had dinner the night before. The study of these factors and their influence on sleep has given rise to what we call sleep hygiene. A series of recommendations that advocate a healthy lifestyle and promote habits that allow for more restful and efficient sleep.
Sleeping is one of the most important activities we do in our life. Hence the importance of getting up with renewed energies, rested and making sure that our difficulties in finding sleep are more and more anecdotal. Do you want to know how to achieve it? We offer 7 guidelines for better sleep.
Maintain a schedule
Sleep is routine and appreciates stability. Therefore, n ur body will benefit from getting up and going to bed every day at the same time, including weekends. It is useless that we rest only 5 hours from Monday to Friday and that on Saturday and Sunday we sleep 8, because sleep does not recover nor can it be compensated.
While it is true that during childhood and adolescence we sleep more, and less in old age; c h adult aque needs a different amount of sleep. Most people need 6 to 8 hours of sleep, but this varies depending on personal and work conditions. Therefore, it is helpful to observe ourselves for a few weeks to determine how much time we need to sleep in order to feel energized.
It is better to wake up before falling asleep later
Warning ! The amount of sleep is as important as the quality. Even if you get 7 hours of sleep, going to bed at 6 a.m. is not the same as going to bed at 11 p.m. The body is programmed to know that when the sun rises it is time to rise.
The bodies release melatonin in the evening, which is why we start to feel tired and drowsy. But if we constantly force it to change its circadian cycles, we can pay a heavy price. In addition, it has been shown that people working at night can develop serious heart problems, which can lead to heart attacks.
Controlling what we ingest from mid-afternoon
When we think of exciting foods, we usually mean coffee. But it is not the only drink that we actively: the th ed or other fizzy drinks can also prevent us from falling asleep. We must be careful if we consume them especially after eating and of course, avoid ingesting them during dinner.
Likewise, chocolate is another stimulant that can either keep us from falling asleep or promote early awakening. In addition, it is important to reduce or avoid the consumption of alcohol or other types of hypnotic substances.
Exercise regularly
Sport is useful for improving fitness or avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, and is also an excellent method of relaxation and relieving tension. Therefore, another measure to promote sleep hygiene is to practice it regularly, and with moderate intensity. Because sport not only keeps us in shape, but also prevents worry from robbing us of our sleep.
It is essential to allow at least two hours to pass between the time we finish our sports activity and the time we go to bed. The generation of endorphins keeps our body alert and going to bed with such pulsations is not recommended. It is better to calm down and go to bed peacefully.
Avoid stimulating activities in the hours before bedtime
In addition to sports, going to bed after watching an action movie or being very emotional with a television program influences our level of physiological activation. Many experts have shown that the habit of consuming audiovisual products increases cases of insomnia, especially among young people between 18 and 32 years old.
Therefore, it is very helpful to do the exact opposite: choose relaxing activities before bed to promote sleep hygiene. For example, background music, a hot bath, light reading, or breathing exercises. Our body will appreciate it the next day.
The pillow is not the most suitable adviser
Sleep hygiene does not consider the bed as a psychological consultation nor the pillow as its therapist. In other words, if we have concerns that keep us from falling asleep, it is better for us to get up and talk to our spouse than to spend hours rolling around in bed without being able to fall asleep.
If these are tasks that we must do and not forget the next day, we advise you to write them down in a notebook or pad and thus “free” your mind from all responsibility.
A room in perfect condition
The conditions in which our bedroom is located can have a decisive influence on the quality of our sleep. The most suitable conditions are:
- Calm and relaxed atmosphere : it is preferable that all the members of the house go to bed at the same time. If we are already in bed, are ready to fall asleep, and continue to listen to the child’s computer fan or the football game on the living room television, this stillness will be interrupted.
- Neither too cold nor too hot: it is good to keep the room temperature close to 21º. It is better to sin a few degrees less than more. In a humid environment, turning on a humidifier a few hours before going to bed can be a good solution.
- It is better to sleep in complete darkness: although the appearance of electrical devices makes this habit difficult, because only the brightness of a screen or an LED can harm our REM phase or the segregation of the melatonin in our body.
All these habits that promote sleep hygiene have very positive effects on both the quality and the number of hours of sleep. Now they will not solve chronic insomnia situations. In such cases, these recommendations act as adjuvants to other therapeutic interventions.
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