World Sleep Day, a day aimed at raising awareness for the importance of sleep and issues related to enhancing your slumber. There are a number of problems that can arise from not getting enough hours’ sleep, such as insomnia and narcolepsy, and there are a range of tricks and steps we can all take to help get us off to the land of nod. Not getting enough hours in bed can have a number of negative effects on our overall wellbeing, so here are a few of our top tips on how to get a good night’s kip. Stress When experiencing stress, bodies have evolved over the years to go through the ‘fight-flight-or-freeze’ response. This survival mechanism might have been crucial in avoiding being eaten by a sabre-toothed tiger, but in the 21st century it can wreak havoc with our sleep. Rather than sleeping on a problem or worry, try and resolve the issue before heading to bed. Exercise While exercise can be a huge benefit to helping you nod off at the end of the day, working out right before bed isn’t going to help you drift off. Instead of increasing your heart-rate just before trying to fall asleep, work on some breathing exercises or techniques that calm your mind and body. Dinner Despite the fact that eating a full meal makes us feel sleepy, eating right before bed isn’t going to help you in your quest for a good night’s kip. Because our bodies have to process food, your sleep could be interrupted by heartburn or indigestion. Instead, eat a good few hours before bed, and try keep your evening meal light. Temperature You may feel as though having the heating on and creating a warm and cosy atmosphere would help you fall asleep, the fact is that the optimal temperature for sleep is actually only around 18C. If you’ve returned home to a freezing house, instead opt for a hot bath before bed – we actually sleep better when the body is cooling down rather than warming up. Phone One of the biggest issues for sleep in the modern world has been mobile phones. Aside from the fact that checking messages and emails will keep the brain from switching off and trigger stress responses, the light from smartphones and tablets can actually trick our minds into thinking it’s daytime.
Friday Mar 16, 2018
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