“You will feel better about it once you’ve slept on it.”
We have definitely been given this piece of advice. Sleeping on a problem, for example, is supposed to give you perspective and some time away to process the problem. However, what if I said that sleep can help you greatly improve the overall quality of your life and your health?
Sounds easy, right? Are all solutions just one night’s sleep away? Not quite. However, the key to reducing stress, improving health, and giving your body proper rest might be.
Our body is nature's machine. It is common knowledge that when a machine is run continuously, it wears out. The same is the case with the human body. It needs rest. Even if you have incomplete work or have had no physical activity during the day, your body still gets tired from all the involuntary internal processes. Which is why, when the sun has set and the moon is shining, you need your sleep.
Most of us have pretty normal sleep schedules. We go to sleep and wake up at the same time. While we might be lying asleep in our beds for 7-8 hours every day, it might not be the best quality of sleep we are getting.
Restful sleep is the kind of sleep we severely lack in our busy lives.
Let us look at some features that define restful sleep:
1. Undisturbed sleep This means undivided sleep without waking up many times in the middle of the night.
2. Calm environment No bright lights, no loud sounds, and the right temperature. This is very important to make sleep restful and effective.
3. Peaceful state of mind An overstimulated brain is the recipe for bad sleep. It is necessary that you feel calm and sleepy.
4. Regularity A good sleep schedule** Erratic sleeping schedules are detrimental to many aspects of our health.
5. Comfortable sleep Comfort here means the right support for your neck and back, i.e., pillows and mattresses.
Now that we have discussed what restful sleep is, let’s talk about implementation.
Ways to improve sleep quality
Let us examine this in two aspects
1. Healthy sleep schedule:
A healthy sleep routine depends greatly on a healthy sleep schedule. To incorporate a healthy sleep schedule, these are the key points to keep in mind:
a. Consistency in timing: A fixed bedtime and wakeup time form the outline for establishing a healthy sleep schedule. Regularity trains the body to get maximum rest during a fixed period of time. Discipline when it comes to sleep is always beneficial.
b. Duration: Getting the right amount of sleep is equally important. An adequate amount of sleep for teenagers is 8–10 hours, and for adults, it is 7-9 hours. To align your sleep schedule with your daily activities, adjust the duration according to your desired wake-up time while making sure you don’t cut down on sleep.
c. Limiting naps: Naps, while a pretty common part of our lives, may be the reason why you are not sleeping well at night. Taking many naps during the day may disturb sleep patterns. However, naps of shorter duration of around 20–30 minutes in the early afternoon are the most recommended.
d. Movement: Moderate-intensity workouts during the day can help with sleep quality. Keep in mind, however, that workouts should be scheduled during the day, as hitting the gym at night might cause over-stimulation, which is not conducive to sleep.
e. Healthy bedtime routine: Having a healthy sleep routine is very important. This means a set of practices or rituals that help set the mood for rest. This is also the second aspect of building better sleep habits, so let us examine this in further detail.
2. Healthy sleep routine:
How we prepare to go to bed is just as important as sleep itself. Often, we make the mistake of just crashing on our bed because we are tired. However, while this is okay sometimes, it is not ideal for restful sleep.
Aspects of restful sleep like comfort, a calm environment, and a peaceful state of mind are achieved by following a healthy bedtime routine.
Let us look at parts of a healthy sleep routine that you need to have in your routine before bed.
a. Unwind and relax: This part of your routine should be all about unwinding after a long day, where you relax and get into a comfortable state that is conducive to sleep. Activities like taking a bath, getting a comfort snack (avoid sugars, processed foods, and caffeine), drinking a cup of chamomile or lavender tea, or doing something that you find relaxing like reading a book or meditation. These activities help to prepare a state of calm, which enables restful and relaxed sleep.
b. Unplug: An overstimulated brain does not help with sleep. Disconnect your gadgets and avoid social media or TV. Technology stimulates our brain and keeps it active instead of easing it into rest.
c. Sleep set-up: Make sure that your bed is just right, and eliminate any disturbances. Using sleep enablers like humidifiers, essential oils, or even an eye mask can elevate the level of your sleep.
Benefits of a Healthy Sleep Routine
- Overall health improvement. Getting adequate rest helps the body function better, which makes all its natural processes smoother. This improves overall health.
- Faster metabolism and greater immunity. Good sleep helps with digestion and metabolic processes and gives the body greater strength to fight diseases.
- Improvement in mental health. A healthy sleep routine can help reduce anxiety and stress and offer mental clarity, which helps in healing mental health problems.
- Increased productivity, better cognition and retention, and enhanced creativity are also benefits that a good sleep schedule can offer.
- A healthy sleep routine can also help with a better mood and a better state of mind.
To conclude, a healthy sleep routine and building an effective sleep schedule can not only help you solve physical and mental health-related problems but also vastly improve your quality of life.
The all-encompassing range of benefits that restful sleep offers is something to be used as much as possible to benefit us!
Sleep tight! Live bright!
