How to develop healthy sleeping habits

Sleep is a state characterised by altered consciousness which provides relaxation to muscles. Sleep is one of the crucial parts of life as an average adult sleeps for seven to eight hours. For healthy living and proper functioning sleep is necessary. If one doesn’t sleep properly then the overall body functioning gets distorted. Well-being and mental health also gets affected therefore it is necessary to have a healthy sound sleep. A person suffering from daily stressors like family issues, pressure in work-place, chronic illness can commonly face difficulty in sleeping. Sleeping excessively or not having enough sleep both are problematic for normal human body functioning.

We can develop healthy sleeping habits that in turn will lead to better decision making, learning and well-being

• Keep a check on exposure of light – In the world of modernisation we all just stick by our phones, TV’s and laptops which not only effect our eyes but also disturbs our sleep , no doubt these devices have made things a lot more easier as everything is just a touch away but with exposure to these screen sleep gets disturbed . The emission of light from these screens reduces melatonin (which is a hormone that controls sleep patterns) which can be the one reason you are not able to sleep. Before sleeping one should ensure that there is no bright light in the room as it disturbs sleep.
  • Eating habits – It is rightly said “You are what you eat”, it is necessary to keep in check what you eat as it also effects sleeping habits. People who smoke may find difficulty in sleeping and this can be due to consumption of nicotine, consuming caffeine, alcohol, eating plenty of food or heavy amount of sugar can cause uneasiness in sleeping.
    • Where you sleep – The environment, while you are sleeping also plays a vital role if there are lots of noises in the background one, may not get pleasant sleep therefore it is important to eliminate noise, excessively hot or cold temperature or any other disturbances on your way to a healthy sleep. Ensure that you do not do work or do any other activity on the bed that distracts you.
  • Reduce day-time naps- If one falls asleep during the day it becomes all the more challenging to sleep in night which is why one should try to not take naps during the day time.
    • Relax and calm your mind – Sometimes the reason that one is not able to sleep properly during the night is due to the recurring thoughts therefore it becomes necessary to clear your mind from all that is concerning you whole day long and give some time to your mind to relax itself from the everyday hustle. This can also be done through listening to relaxing music and deep breathing.
    • Exercising regularly- Exercising not only benefits your health but it also improves sleep, schedule your exercise it should not be right before you sleep. Regular exercise improves the symptoms of insomnia and sleep-apnea. It is not necessary to do any hardcore exercise even if one does jogging or walking for ten minutes is enough for good sleep.
      • Ways to get back to sleep- When one wakes up during the night it is important to get in your sleep back and this can be done by relaxing your mind, reading a book or listening to good relaxing music this will make you get back to sleep faster.

It is shown in studies that low-quality of sleep leads to obesity, cardiovascular diseases and mental-health issues like anxiety. There are many sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, REM sleep behaviour disorder, narcolepsy(causing day time drowsiness) ,restless leg syndrome (irresistible urge to move legs) which are caused due to disturbed sleeping patterns.

Therefore it becomes essential to keep your sleep –cycle in check for healthy functioning of mind and body.

References-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep#Sleep_health

https://www.apa.org/topics/sleep/why