Sleeping seems simple enough: You get tired and you go to
bed. But for some, it’s not that easy. Even if you don’t have a sleep disorder
like daytime sleepiness, sleep apnea & snoring, insomnia or narcolepsy,
poor sleep habits may increase your risk of developing other health issues,
including coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and possibly even
obesity and diabetes. The best approach is to keep good sleep hygiene to
cultivate quality sleep. Sleep hygiene refers to our sleep habits that
lead to more restful sleep.
Here are some tips to adopt good sleep hygiene and
improve your sleep quality.
Follow A Sleep Schedule
Follow a
regular sleep schedule even on weekends,
holidays and days off. This will help to encourage sleepiness and wakefulness
at reasonable hours. Maintaining an early awakening time is also crucial. Being
consistent gives your brain clear signals that sleep is coming and
strengthens your body's sleep-wake cycle. Breaking this rule causes sleep disruption
in both good and poor sleepers.
Save Your Bed For Sleep
Avoid
watching TV, working, or reading in bed. Limit your bed to sleeping only. This
means not using the bed as a desk or a place to lounge and watch television.
You don’t want to associate your bed with anything but sleep. You should
only get into bed when you are sleepy. And this also means not remaining
in bed if you struggle to fall asleep. If you do not fall asleep within 20
minutes, get up, do some light reading, listen to quiet music or engage in
relaxation techniques. Go back to bed when you're tired. Repeat as needed.
Avoid
Food That Interfere With Your Sleep
A more
nutritious diet supports higher-quality sleep. Avoid heavy meals within a
couple of hours of bedtime. Lying down too soon after eating also can cause
heartburn or indigestion and your discomfort might keep you up. Consuming
caffeine and alcohol deserve caution. Its stimulating effects take hours to
wear off and can disturb your quality sleep. And even though alcohol might make
you feel sleepy, it can disrupt sleep later in the night.
Workout
On Time
Exercising
regularly can improve the quality of sleep, but try to avoid heavy exercises
close to bedtime. Gentle or relaxing exercise can be done before bed. If
possible, schedule exercise in the morning or early afternoon hours. You’ll feel more energized all day, and your body
will be ready to relax on the evening.
Long
daytime naps can interfere with nighttime sleep. If you choose to nap, limit
yourself to up to 30 minutes. Napping disrupts the sleep-wake cycle,
particularly if the nap occurs more than 10 hours after the major sleep period.
Know When
To Contact Your Doctor
Nearly everyone has an occasional sleepless night — but if you
often have trouble sleeping, contact your sleep medicine doctors in Naperville. The
sleep experts will help you identify why you aren’t getting enough sleep and
provide you with effective treatments so you can feel better rested.
