Are you
getting enough sleep?
The National Sleep
Foundation recommends a person should get between 7-9 hours of sleep every
night for optimum health. In this hectic day and age, where time is
money 40% of people actually get less than the recommended amount of
sleep. Why is proper sleep necessary? Besides being a basic human
necessity, sleep is key to a healthy lifestyle. The benefits are endless:
sleeps helps improves memory, curb inflammation, increase physical stamina,
maintain a healthy metabolism and lower stress, among dozens of other health
benefits. For many, the problem is falling asleep in the first
place. 30-35% of adult Americans experience brief symptoms of insomnia
throughout their lives and the culprit is often bad bedtime habits. In
order to avoid wasting hours on getting good sleep, here are some tips to optimize
your sleep in order to give you the best sleep of your life today:
1. Avoid
electronic devices before bed.
In a study published in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it was
revealed that people who used electronic devices before bed experienced more
disruptive sleep and felt more tired in the morning than individuals who read
from printed publications. It turns out the blue light from computer
screens slows down melatonin production, the hormone that aids in proper
sleep. To avoid sleep delays of up to an hour and half, try reading from a printed book or avoiding
electronic devices altogether right before bed. Heavy light exposure
before sleep should be avoided in general, not just from your computer
screen. If achieving a thoroughly dark room is impossible in your
situation, consider blackout curtains and eye masks to provide you with the
ideal sleep environment.
2. Exercise
daily.
Turns out working out can
go a long way in boosting the quality of your sleep. Studies reveal that long term exercise can not only speed up the rate at
which you fall asleep but the quality of sleep as well. Your body
experiences an increase in body temperature during a workout and the
post-exercise drop in temperature afterward can boost the rate at which you
fall asleep. Exercise also affects your body’s circadian rhythm which
regulates your physiological processes (including when to
sleep!).
3. Cut off
caffeine early in the day.
Researchers have learned
that drinking caffeinated drinks before bed can turn your body clock back by
one hour. Caffeine delays the boost in melatonin (the sleep hormone) your
body receives before you sleep, causing your body’s clock to reset. In
fact, it’s recommended you stop drinking caffeinated beverages as early as
3pm. While caffeine enters your bloodstream swiftly and provides an
energizing effect within 15 minutes of consumption, it actually takes up to
five hours for caffeine to be eliminated from your body.Even drinking a double
espresso three hours before bed can impact your sleep cycle.
4. Avoid
napping throughout the day.
I know better than anyone
how amazing a mid afternoon nap can feel. A blissful one hour nap never hurt
anyone, right? Wrong. Long naps can actually interfere with nighttime
sleep. If you are going to take a nap, experts recommend getting your rest in between 2-3 pm in the
afternoon and keeping it to 10-30 minutes maximum. Any longer and you will
experience grogginess and disorientation after you wake up, as well as sleep
disruptions throughout the night.
5. Try out a
white noise machine.
It should come as no
surprise that environmental noise can have an impact on your sleep but did you
know just how much of a hindrance external sounds can be? According to the
World Health Organization’s noise level guidelines, noise levels 55 db and higher are
considered a dangerous noise level for public health. Higher noise levels can
significantly increase sleep disturbances (as well as increase cardiovascular
disease risks). A running washing machine, background music and normal
conversation are all examples of sounds that sit at 55 db or higher. Night
time environmental noises sounds like this can arouse and affect sleep cycles
which may impact health. Using a white noise machine can help drown out
environmental noises. It may seem redundant but white noise
machines’s positive sounds can in fact muffle negative environmental
noises. There are dozens of white noise sound apps available on the
market, so the next time you have trouble sleeping, try out out a white noise
app like Sleep Pillow to help you get restful sleep.
6. Monitor
your room temperature.
According to a recent study, room temperature makes the biggest difference in how well
you rest at night, more so than even light and time. Research shows that
setting your thermostat between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit (15-19 degrees
Celsius) is the ideal temperature for getting restful sleep. Your core
body temperature needs to drop a few degrees in order to initiate sleep and
keeping your room cool helps facilitate this. If your core body
temperature is too high, your brain will have problems transitioning from being
awake to being asleep.It’s the little things that make the most difference in
getting proper sleep. Your surrounding environment are often the main causes
of disruptive sleep and continuing with these distracting habits can have a
significant impact on your health. If you often experience sleepless
nights, try out one of these simple tips the next time you want to get your zzz
on!
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