Sleep is a very vital part of human life. Although overlooked by a lot of people, it is just as important as feeding. Although sleep needs vary from individual to individual and are distinctly affected by different factors, the National Sleep Foundation guidelines advise that healthy adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. While babies, teens, and children need even more to enable their physical and mental growth to create a sound body and a sound mind. According to the World Health Organisation, older adults (aged 65 and above) need between seven to eight hours of sleep daily. As essential as sleep is, a lot of individuals encounter sleeping difficulties. This article is aimed at providing practical tips to help you sleep properly.
How Do I Find Sleep?
As simple as this question may seem, many people do not have its answer. These people suffer from a lack of sleep or what is called insomnia. Here are a few tricks to help you find sleep.
Breathing
The way you breathe has a significant influence on your sleep pattern as it plays a role in the autonomic nervous system. It regulates the tension of your muscles, controls the rate at which your heart beats, and enhances relaxation. When you breathe calmly, deeply, and softly, it gives your mind the illusion that you are calm and relaxed. Taking hard, fast, and shallow breathes, on the other hand, gives your mind the illusion of tension and anxiety, which makes it difficult to sleep. Using the 478 breathing method has proven to be an incredibly significant step at breathing properly to find sleep, inhaling through the nose while counting to four, holding your breath and counting to seven, and exhaling through the mouth eight is pretty straightforward and helpful.
Getting a good mattress
Just as our lives differ, so does how we find good sleep differ. The kind of mattress you sleep on can affect your feeling of comfort and, ultimately, your sleep. Sleeping in a mattress that is too soft or too hard could affect your sleep. For sleep to occur, your body needs to be at rest. When the mattress is uncomfortable, the state of rest cannot be achieved due to the struggles to find a conducive position, and your sleep is interrupted or completely tampered with. This causes terrible sleeping habits or even unnecessary body ache in some instances. Listen to your body’s complaints, and find a good mattress.
Creating a sleep schedule
Sleeping schedules are massively underrated. Most times, you need to tell your body to sleep at a specific time. That way, it gets used to it and wants to rest at the same time of the day. Depriving yourself of sleep is a massive attempt at “cheating” nature which never sounds like a good idea. The importance of sleep can never be downplayed. Include sleep in your daily plans and schedules, and in no time, your body gets used to it and even craves it at that time.
Grooming Your Biological Clock
The circadian rhythm, also known as the biological clock, regulates every living organism and controls some essential biological functions like the sleep-awakening cycle and a host of others. Your biological clock is wired to rest at dusk and wake at dawn; that is why you find yourself waking up when the day breaks a no matter how late you sleep. By making efforts to sleep at night, you trick your biological clock into making you want to sleep at night and wake you in the morning, helping you gain an excellent sleeping pattern.
Eating Properly
Your diet is a huge determinant of your sleep. That is why you are advised not to go to sleep hungry as the pangs of hunger could affect your sleep, and overfeeding just before sleeping could cause bloating and bring discomfort while you sleep. Data has shown that eating food low in fiber and high in saturated fats and excess sugar during the day is linked with lighter, shallow and less restorative sleep. Food choices during the day affect our sleep significantly. A healthy diet rich in fiber, carbohydrates, and less sugar, enhances sleep quality and duration.
Keeping Your Bedroom Dark And Cool
The night is linked with darkness and cool air, which aids our sleep. Having a bright room could prevent you from sleeping as your mind wants to stay awake, and your attention is diverted to the source of lightning. Heat could also prevent you from having a proper sleep as it is incredibly uncomfortable and unpleasant. If you can’t turn your lights off completely, make it dim, leave your windows opened or use a fan or an air conditioner that way, you have sufficient sir supply leaving your room cool and cozier.
Your sleep is essential and should be prioritized. A well-relaxed body and mind is a more productive body and mind. This should not sound like rocket science because it isn’t. Simply apply the simple steps explained above, and watch your sleep improve.
