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Five Expert Tips for Sleeping Like a Dormouse Every Night
Psychology
A restful sleep is key to face the day and be able to enjoy our day to day
Sleeping well is one of the fundamental pillars for health, but rest smoothly for eight hours it becomes a challenge for many. Distractions of the day or our work, a disorder in our schedules or even the temperature of the room, can be factors that negatively affect our rest. Although many times ending insomnia requires the help of professionals, we can include small habits in our nighttime routine to try to have a restful sleep that gives us strength to face the day.
Wake up with the sun
Maintaining regular sleep habits and schedules is essential to rest. Dr. Carlos Egea, member of the Spanish Sleep Society (SES), highlights the importance of establishing “Chronological patterns”. In this way, the ideal is to adjust our dream with the rhythms of the sun pattern: Go to bed a few hours after dark and wake up with the arrival of the first hours of daylight.
Also, Dr. Egea considers it important to avoid «jet lag social», a phenomenon that occurs when, for example on the weekend, we abruptly change our sleep rhythm for leisure reasons.
Goodbye to technology
Dr. Oriol Franch, head of the Neurology Unit of the Hospital Ruber Internacional, emphasizes the essentials of avoiding distractions before going to bed. “We must prepare ourselves to fall asleep. It makes no sense that we use the tablet or mobile phone, or that we treat professional issues until the last minute “, explains the doctor, adding:” These habits are very harmful and our quality of sleep worsens with them. In the end this is the most important thing.
Temperature, a key factor
Temperature is a crucial factor in getting a good night’s sleep. First of all, keep a nice tempeture in our room it is essential to be able to sleep without interruptions. Dr. Franch advises that the room is properly ventilated and marks between 18 and 22 degrees the optimal temperature for the room.
On the other hand, our body temperature also plays a decisive role in sleep, as explained by Dr. Seiji Nishino in his book “The Art of Rest.” According to the doctor, the quality of sleep is induced by a gradual decrease in internal body temperature. For this reason, Dr. Nishino gives three tips so that our temperature is optimal when going to sleep: firstly, he recommends taking a bath 90 minutes before going to bed; second, he points out that just by giving ourselves a «foot bath» we would achieve the same positive effect as with a shower; finally, recommend sleep without socks.
Beware of drugs
Experts ask for caution with the use of drugs and natural preparations intended to aid sleep. Dr. Franch emphasizes that because a medicine is natural, it does not mean that it cannot be harmful to us if it is taken without consultation. The doctor says that although melatonin “can help with jet lag,” for example, it should be taken “properly” and not “continuously.” «There are other options, such as take a chamomile, which do not generate any problem, “he also explains.
For his part, Dr. Egea insists on the danger of taking drugs on your own, as well as recalls that many of the preparations intended to better sleep with do not have proven scientific evidence.
Consultation with professionals
Getting a bad night’s sleep can be anecdotal, but when the problem begins to linger over time, we may need help. «If sleep problems begin to affect our day to day, or are prolonged more than three monthsWe should go to a professional ”, says Dr. Egea.
Likewise, Dr. Franch believes that as soon as the problem is no longer punctual, we should consult a doctor. The professional emphasizes that insomnia is not a disease, but a situation, and therefore it is very important to detect the causes that generate it in order to solve it.