5 Ideas for Better Sleep

Our fast-paced lives and the continuous exposure to various screens have created a whole lot of health issues. One of the most common issues is lack of sleep. Majority of the youth today deal with insomnia. There are various reasons for lack of sleep and some of the common factors are:
1. Sleeping at odd hours of the day
2. You don’t sleep well
3. You have a sleeping disorder
4. You are too stressed

Your body has a set internal body clock which sends signals to the brain when it is time to sleep. The body clock typically has a 24-hour repeating rhythm (called the circadian rhythm). Two processes interact to control this rhythm.

A. The first is pressure to sleep which builds with every hour that you’re awake. This drive for sleep reaches a peak in the evening when most people fall asleep. The second process involves your internal body clock. This clock is in sync with certain cues in the environment. Light, darkness, and other cues help determine when you feel awake and when you feel drowsy.

B. Sleep plays a very vital role in keeping us healthy physically and mentally. What’s more important is the quality of sleep. There are various short term and long term hazards to sleep deprivation. Some of them being reduced attention span, chronic illnesses, etc.

To make sure you sleep well you need to be disciplined. There are various permutations and combinations you can use. However today we shall talk about the top 5 ideas you can follow for better sleep:

1. Follow your body clock: as per the nature of humankind the time to sleep is in darkness. You should not tamper with that. Make sure you have a set time when you wind up everything and go to bed. If you want to sleep by 11 pm. You should wind up all your chores and work by 10 pm and get into bed by 10:30 pm at the maximum. Following this routine will become a standard signal to your brain that it is now time to sleep.

2. Design your room in a way that you follow the circadian rhythm: the lighting in your room should be soft and dull in the evening so that the brain receives a signal that it is time to sleep and make sure you spend time in the sun/ bright light during the day.

3. Avoid all kinds of screens one hour before sleeping: staring at any kind of screen (TV, Laptop or the phone) is not good for sound sleep. It hampers the quality of your sleep. Try and make your room a tech-free zone.

4. Use a comfortable mattress and pillows to sleep: make sure you use a comfortable mattress to sleep, change the mattress every 10 years as that is the expected life expectancy. Also make sure your mattress and pillows are allergens free as that may be a hindrance to good sound sleep too.

5. Follow an exercise routine: it is a known fact that physical activity decreases stress and helps people feel more relaxed. This in turn helps in good sound sleep. Set an exercise routine for yourself and exercise for at least 60 minutes daily. Just make sure you do not exercise too close to your sleeping time as it will wake you up instead of slowing you down.

Follow these 5 tips and set in a little bit of discipline life and you will notice how your sleeping pattern goes back to normal and the quality of your sleep improves too.
However if you are still having trouble sleeping and disrupted sleep despite consistent efforts, it is recommended that you see a doctor and follow his advice.