Bedtime habits are necessary for us to adopt in our day and age. Sleep is very important and majority of us are taking it for granted, i mean some of us sleep for probably two to three hours a night.
It is written by MD, Diwakar Balachandran: ”Researchers are trying to learn more about the cancer and sleep connection. Until more is known, we need to give sleep the priority it deserves”.
Follow these tips to establish healthy sleep habits:
Tips on adopting healthy sleep habits:
- Keep a consistent sleep schedule: This is not easy, i even agree but keeping a strict schedule can improve your health in many ways. wake up the same time everyday and sleep the same time whether its a normal work day or weekend.
- Set an early bedtime: An average adult needs to sleep for at least 7-9 hours a day, it might be hard for you to get this amount of sleep but trust me it is worth it.
- If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed: This might seem harsh but if you carry on laying on the bed after those 20 minutes you might end up making your body get used to laying on the bed without a purpose to sleep. Dr. Drerup says, to estimate how long you’ve been awake. After 20 minutes of wakefulness, get up and leave your bedroom. “Don’t spend time in bed trying to fall asleep,” she says. “You’ll probably worry about not falling asleep and then learn to associate the bedroom with not sleeping well.”
- Stay away from your bed: Only go to your bed for 2 purposes, sleep and cohabitation. That is what a a bed is made for.
- Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. it should be cozy and should have a cool temperature. the cooler the better. Try white noise or a sound machine to help you fall asleep.
- Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings: if you can dim the lights in the night then do that, that will be a good benefit for you.
- Turn off electronic devices: phones, laptops, TV etc, should be off at least half an hour before going to bed. in short just switch off the WiFi.
- Don’t eat a large meal before bedtime. If you are hungry at night, eat a light, healthy snack.
- Avoid consuming caffeine in the late afternoon or evening: caffeine is said to give a person loads of energy that is why it is not suitable to consume it in the late afternoon or evening. at the end of the day we are trying to refrain from sleep deprivation.
It is a known fact that 15% of adults suffer from insomnia. if you have Insomnia and you have tried the above, Consult your Doctor.