Sleepless nights and tired mornings are part and parcel of a hectic lifestyle. Burning the midnight oil and slaving the day away to earn assets is looting us of the most important natural asset health.
A healthy mind resides in a healthy body, and insufficient sleep warrants an unhealthy body. Sleeplessness may stem from stress, increased exposure to a digital screen, improper sleeping conditions, chronic illness, drug abuse, or psychological imbalances like depression and sleep-related disorders.
Here Are Some Efficient Ways To Get Your Sleep Cycle Back On Track
1. Avoid Mind-Provoking Activity
Have you ever wondered what keeps you awake late into the night during exam time? It’s hyperactivity and anxiety. Playing video games, watching youtube, running, or engaging in rigorous physical exertion immediately before bed can cause mental stimulation leading to a rush of adrenaline in the body.
Shift the focus away from the stress of today and the anticipation of tomorrow. Avoid arguments and serious discussions or scrolling through messages of work or social media. Avoid bringing office work into the sleeping space. The stimulation of nerve receptors hikes brain activity, thereby disrupting the sleep cycle.
For an undisturbed sleep, take a walk or sit idle before going to bed.
2. Turn The Screens Off
Avoid surfing cell phones, laptops, pc, tablets, television, or any other screen before bedtime. Using reading mode or night mode on screens reduces glare and blue light from them. Hence, it is a better option to use screens for longer if necessary.
Melatonin is responsible for sleep cycle regulation. Increased exposure to blue light signals our retinal cells of the eyes to stay alert and wide open. The melatonin level gets enhanced to alert the brain and causes a sleep delay. Hence, the blue light emitted from digital screens disrupts melatonin production in the body and ultimately disturbs the sleep cycle.
3. Good Sleeping Environment
The traffic ambiance noise or the loud next-door neighbor can be detrimental to healthy sleep. Ensure a peaceful silence, darkness, and a slightly cold environment to promote quick sleep. Remove ticking clocks.
Light-blocking curtains, a comfortable mattress, a shoulder-height pillow, and an open window for proper ventilation can assist in a night of strain-free sleep. Physical strain while sleeping can cause bouts of wakefulness too. Shav asana is the best posture for sleeping.
4. Consistency In Sleep Schedule
The human body has a self-biological clock that regulates the hours of wakefulness and sleep. Try to sleep and wake up daily at the same time. Consistency in routine helps train the body to invoke the urge to sleep.
If you are already suffering from sleeplessness, then it would be wise to choose a particular time that you find convenient for bedtime. Stick to a schedule, because your body is struggling to do the same too! Support, not oppose your biological clock.
5. Relaxing Activities Before Bedtime
If you are not feeling much tired to have a good sleep, indulge in some relaxing activities like listening to soft music, reading books, hobbies, or having a gentle talk with your partner. These activities relax your mind as well as will push you to sleep on time.
Writing diaries or letters to yourself under the lamplight can help you to calm down and relax. Assist your body to ease into a healthy sleep after a hectic day by performing some relaxing activities. Remember, solution and remedy go hand in hand.
6. Avoid Liquor And Neural Stimulants Before Bedtime
Having too many drinks before bedtime will make you visit the bathroom frequently at night. Also, alcohol consumption triggers sleep after intake, but it disrupts the sleep cycle entirely and causes sleeplessness in the future.
Avoid caffeine consumption before 6 hours of sleep. Caffeine causes an adrenaline rush in the body that makes you awake and alert. So avoid tea and coffee before bedtime.
Also, keep up the hydration before bedtime. Dehydration can cause a soar threat and restricted nasal passage, causing unease in the morning.
7. Avoid Napping In Daylight Hours
If you are experiencing difficulty sleeping at night, then you must avoid day naps. In cases of hampered functioning during the day, restrict the naptime to 30 min before 3 pm. Sleeping during the day relaxes the body, thereby eliminating the need to sleep at night. They can throw off the body clock making sleeping at night an uphill task.
8. Practise Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of every moment you spend. Being alert of your own words, sensations, feelings, actions, and surroundings.
Take a deep breath. Pause before every new task you do. Eat what you like, do what you want to, accept the moment you are in, and think before you speak. Being mindful of every action you perform helps you better grasp emotions and events in life. It gives you the feeling of control over life events, reducing the anxiety over the future many folds. The tiredness stemming from disorientation in life goes away, allowing you to have a smooth sleep.
Actively engage in meditation and yoga in the mornings to give a calming start to the day and in the evenings or before bedtime to let go of the day’s stress. Put up calming decorations and wall colors in the home. Consciously living in the moment brings in a night of healthy sleep.
9. Positive Restructuring Of Thoughts
The way we think triggers chemicals in the brain. The anxious thought pattern leads to dopamine release, causing the body to enter a state of higher anxiety. If you make yourself believe that it’s okay to be wide awake at night and keep yourself calm, then serotonin would release.
It’s okay to be sleepless once in a while. Contrarily, it is not okay to get caught up in overthinking, stress, and anxiety. Break out of the vicious cycle. Keep up hope, positivity, and calmness. Positivity in your thoughts makes you feel confident about your situation. So, control your hormones before they disrupt your sleep!
10. Activities To Do During Sleeplessness
If you wake up during night hours, forcing sleep will be counterproductive. It would enhance your anxiety. Meditation in bed, muscle relaxation activities, taking deep breaths, and concentrating on them are a few things to try. Roll your eyes and rub acupressure points of the ear. Take a shower, and slowly try falling asleep again.
11. Visit A Doctor
Insomnia (lack of sleep) may be indicative of sleep disorders. If none of these tips yield any result and sleeplessness persists for long, do not take it lightly. If you frequently wake up at night unable to sleep again or rise too early, feeling tired— visit a doctor and take proper medication. Avoid resorting to sedative pills unless a doctor prescribes them. Aside from being addictive, such medications have other long-term repercussions too.
Follow a healthy routine and consume foods that enhance melatonin production in the body. Practice yoga, and take some time off for yourself. Try these simple tips and get back to dozing off to sleep in no time!
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