After reading it please create your personal digest for people who suffer sleep problems or bad habits. Share your own tips. Create nice paragraphs.
Be Smart About Sleep
Small changes to your habits and lifestyle can have a big effect on sleep.
You might have heard some women talk about their biological clocks in regards to fertility; all living creatures have another type of internal clock, called the circadian rhythm. It refers to the 24-hour cycle of activity and sleep affected by the change from light to dark. A part of the brain called the hypothalamus manages the circadian rhythm, or pattern, by processing information (like when your eyes detect light) and creating sleep patterns. This sleep-wake cycle gives you the cue to go to sleep.
If you have trouble with sleep and insomnia, slightly adjusting your routine and habits may help.
Strategies for Better Sleep
Most adults need about seven to eight hours of sleep each night. But if you're depressed, sick, or just plain stressed, getting a good night's sleep can be hard to come by. With these strategies, you'll stop tossing and turning and be on your way to dreamland:
Create a tranquil space. Keep the lights low a few hours before bedtime, stay away from bright computers and noisy televisions, and make sure the temperature is cool. You'll have a cozy cave all your own to drift off in.
Keep a routine. Try to stick to the same bedtime and wake-up time every day — this includes holidays, weekends, and vacations if possible.
Slow it down. Establish a few hours of quiet time before bed. Try picking up a book, listening to calming music, taking a warm bath, meditating, or even writing in your journal. This will allow your body to relax after a hectic day and put you in the mood for sleep.
Make sleep a priority. Allow eight hours in bed as much as possible — even getting an extra 30 minutes per night can help, says Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD, professor of neurology and director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Work out early. Exercise regularly, but not within three to six hours of bedtime. Staying active during the day can lower stress and provide feelings of relaxation, which will help you sleep better.
Sleep (don't work) in your bedroom. Do not turn your bedroom into your office — this room should be reserved for sleep and sex only.
Common Mistakes for Getting Better Sleep
You might think having a glass of wine before bed will help you sleep better, but this notion is only half right. Alcohol may make it easier for you to fall asleep, but your sleep will probably be lighter than usual — causing you to wake up in the middle of the night.
Some over-the-counter products that supposedly treat insomnia and sleeplessness may not work very well. More importantly, natural products are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so it's difficult for consumers to decipher how safe these products are.
Prescription insomnia medication can help a patient get some much needed shut-eye, depending on his symptoms and diagnosis. However, some medication may be habit-forming, so make sure to talk with your doctor about the benefits and side effects of potential treatments.
Basic strategies and common sense will make you a better sleeper and more productive during waking hours.
Hi everyone, well you can see that I am get used to work at night, I think I can work a lot at this hour, the problem is that I can wake up to early so I please don't do it!
ReplyDeleteI really need to sleep with my bedroom completely dark, I bought some black out, you should try them also I need to sleep with a cold temperature.
Also I suggest to not use your cellphone before bed, cause this light prevents our brain releasing melatonin, a hormone that tells our body it`s nighttime.
You can try playing relaxing music when you are at bed, this can make you relaxing and imagine you in a wonderful place, you can also try to disconnect you from the routine.
I think the bedroom is one of the most important places al home, it has to be a relaxing place, and it has to have a good selections of colors.
Hi Fernando. I tried to listening to relaxing music last night just for get sleeping, but it didn´t work. What seems interesting for me is to take away from my bed the cellphone.
DeleteAs I see you like to work late, I recommend you to drink a cup of warm milk. This could be good for you to get a pleasant dream.
See you on saturday.
My sleeping habits (By Herber Urrutia)
ReplyDeleteGoing to bed early is not something I do often. As a matter of fact I always go late to bed. Some of the reasons for that habit is I have to attend my children needs first before I do my own things. Anothers reason are my job requirements and my study tasks, for instance this last three days I had to prepare a presentation and a speech which had to do with real estate taxation, so I had to take some of my sleeping time for accomplish that; and right now (11:15+ p.m.) I'm at Xela, writing this comment.
In this context what I recommend people is to get organized, to do things when they have to do them and never procastinate (which I am used to do). If they do that for sure they will have time enough to sleep.
When I was a teenager I heard this quotation "Do what I say not what I do". This is my advice for everybody who wants to sleep properly.
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ReplyDeleteNice comment Herber, I enjoyed your quote. I have thinking about my sleeping habits along my life, I remember that when I was a child I used to sleep very well every night, but nowadays am not always like that. I discovered that if I am experiencing too much stress I can’t sleep, however even experiencing stress, if I do sports, I am able to sleep very well. It was interesting to read the article shared by Betzy, it mentions that is a bad idea to watch TV before going to sleep, in my case when I am not able to sleep, watching TV is an alternative because I am used to feeling sleepy while watching TV, actually I like to do it.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting thing that I have experienced recently is that changing the environment also changes my sleeping habits, as an example I can tell you that is hard to me get used to sleeping in a hotel especially if I am traveling by myself. I do prefer not to sleep in a complete dark room, I am used to keeping a low light on or the TV in mute mode, kind of weird, don’t you think?
A very common comment I have heard many times, is that drinking coffee could cause insomnia but it doesn’t happen to me, I am used to drinking coffee all the time even before going to sleep, I do love to drink cappuccinos, I think you already knew that.