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Everyone knows how important sleep is. Its quantity and quality affect our mood, health and performance levels. On average, people sleep no more than seven hours a day. We put off going to bed until the last minute, watch TV shows in the middle of the night, finish a project that we didn’t manage to finish during working hours. And the next day everything falls out of hand, the head “does not cook.”
But if we finally give up the bad habit of going to bed after midnight, we can be convinced that healthy sleep works wonders. Eight hours of a good night’s rest every day helps you think clearer and faster, look younger, get sick less often, and avoid overeating (which means not getting fat). The mood becomes better, and disturbing thoughts go away.
This is not the whole list of “bonuses” that we will receive if we get enough sleep. There is only one difficulty: how can we fall asleep faster? Psychologist Dr. Susan Haas shared simple tricks to help you completely relax and surrender to sweet dreams.
1. Get ready for bed in advance
Our organisms are not designed to function under the bright light of lamps and for watching TV at night. Even if we just look at our phone screen, the brain “thinks” it’s still daytime and slows down the production of the hormone melatonin, which regulates our circadian rhythms.
Therefore, as soon as it starts to get dark, reduce activity. Find activities that you enjoy that will help you relax your body and prepare it for sleep. You can lie in the bathroom, do yoga – there are special asanas for better sleep. Drink mint tea, read a book. Everyone has their own way to calm the body and mind.
2. Stick to a daily routine
The stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol are released according to natural cycles. So, the level of cortisol drops closer to midnight. However, if we continue to sit in front of the TV until three in the morning, it grows again, causing anxiety and making it difficult to fall asleep.
Going to bed and waking up at the same time will release your hormones the way nature intended, which will help reduce stress and anxiety levels throughout the day.
3. Sleep in the dark
As already mentioned, the artificial light of a lamp and gadget screens can deceive our body: melatonin levels will drop if they are abused closer to the night. Exactly the same effect is exerted by light from a window not covered by curtains. Therefore, the bedroom should be dark. Replace tulle with opaque blackout curtains.
If you go to the toilet, use a light backlight: do not turn on all the lights in the hallway, because it can immediately stop the flow of melatonin. Do not use nightlights in the children’s room – they affect the quality of sleep, which is critical for the growth and maturation of the child.
4. Eat protein before bed
Contrary to popular belief, a small snack before bed is good for you. But you should not eat a bun, but, for example, a small protein bar with nuts or drink a glass of milk. They help produce L-tryptophan, an amino acid that is needed for the production of melatonin and serotonin.
5. Go to bed between ten and midnight
Specialists in traditional Chinese medicine believe that for the rejuvenation of the body, it is especially useful to go to bed between ten o’clock in the evening and midnight. Some insist that an hour of sleep during this period is equal in strength to two hours of sleep from three to five in the morning. We will wake up rested, even if we have not rested for the required eight hours.
Of course, it can be difficult for us to start going to bed at a strictly allotted time. Someone is used to sitting before dawn and waking up in the afternoon. And it’s not easy for someone to refuse evening correspondence in the chat. But it’s still worth at least trying to follow these helpful tips. Who knows, maybe they will become a habit, and you will start to meet the morning cheerful, fresh and full of energy.