LifeStyle Desk, Delhi Magazine: Sleep is important and fundamental for the body to recharge energy. When days are very busy, restful sleep is often impaired, something that has consequences for physical and mental health.
The ideal number of hours of sleep for adults is, in general, between seven and nine hours a night, explains Zurich’s Mundo Z, the insurer’s blog, in a statement.
Here are your basic tips for getting a good night’s rest:
1- Regular hours
Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, whether during the week or on the weekend. The brain has its own clock with 24-hour cycles, the suprachismatic nucleus, which works best under conditions of regularity. This will improve both the quality and quantity of sleep. If you nap, don’t do it for more than 20 minutes a day and only do it if you really need to.
Extra tip: “After one or more bad nights in a row, don’t try to sleep more in the morning or go to bed earlier the next night. If you do, you’re subtracting the waking time needed to generate healthy sleep again”, recommends Carmen Dominguez.
2- The room, the temple of rest
Taking care of our room is essential for a great rest. A tidy and clean space, which prevents the entry of light and guarantees total silence is essential. It must also be well ventilated and have a temperature between 18 and 21 degrees.
3- Light and dark
Light information reaches the brain through the retina. When we are exposed to light, the brain understands that it is time to wake up, while when it is dark, it understands that it is time to sleep and melatonin secretion is activated. The light-dark cycle is the most important external synchronizer in the regulation of sleep/awakening, so incorrect exposure to light or darkness can directly influence and alter rest.
At night, total disconnection. On the one hand, we turn off screens not only because of the LED light they emit, but also because of the stimuli we receive from them, which cause strong activity in the brain. Bonus tip: “An hour or two before bed, try turning off the lights throughout the house and starting your decibel-lowering rest ritual. Stretch out, meditate, read a book, take a shower, or do some exercise. anything that calms you down and, above all, avoid checking your email and social networks. (essential when traveling). And remember to disconnect not only from electronic devices and social media, but also from the stress of work”.
During the day, fresh air. We need to get natural light outside every day. The ideal way to stay active and reduce stress is to exercise outside first thing in the morning.
4- Tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you how you sleep
What we eat and when we eat it greatly affects the quality of our sleep. Thus, if we are in the middle of digestion, we will not be able to fall asleep because our body needs a lot of extra energy at that time.
Extra tip: “Above all, avoid taking exciting or stimulating substances such as caffeine or alcohol, which significantly reduce the deep sleep phase and have a negative effect on rest, especially if taken after 3 pm”.
5- Active life
For a good night’s rest, physical activity is essential throughout the day, avoiding sitting for more than two hours at a time. This activity will bring us greater well-being, not only physically but also emotionally, something that will have a direct impact on our rest.
Extra tip: “We should be careful with high-intensity exercise immediately before going to bed because it activates us physiologically and cognitively and raises our body temperature. To fall asleep and sleep, the ideal temperature in the bedroom must be between 18 and 21 degrees”, says sleep, rest and wellness specialist Carmen Domínguez. It is also vital to our physical and emotional well-being to promote face-to-face social contact and reduce screen usage.
To help, they collected some very useful tips that will help you have a more peaceful night and restful sleep.
Find a routine . “Make sure you go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. For consistency, this routine includes weekends”;
” Make sure your bedroom is comfortable , dark and at a temperature that helps you relax”;
” Avoid ingesting heavy foods , rich in sugar or caffeine just before going to bed”;
” Remove or turn off any devices and make sure they won’t disturb you”;
” Do physical exercise during the day”.