Better Sleep Is Good For Your Well-being: Here's How To Practice Better Sleep Hygiene

From thehealthsite.com

Poor sleep can be bad for your health and lead to several problems. Here's how you can address the problem and induce better sleep

When we look at overall health, the checklist of things to do usually includes a combination of physical exercise and nutrition. Lesser thought about, however, is the importance of sleep this, despite it being known to play an important role in a person's ability to stay healthy, alongside exercise and nutrition.

The benefits of sleep are numerous and include helping to conserve energy, supporting the immune system's ability to heal and repair damaged tissues, and regulating neurocognitive abilities. In fact, studies have found that the repercussions of inadequate sleep may be more perilous than we think, including mental distress, among other health conditions. According to the recent ResMed Sleep Survey, it was noted that 72 per cent of Indians have emotional distress due to poor sleep.

Consequences Of Poor Sleep Quality

One of the most common misconceptions about sleep is the belief that getting 4 to 6 hours a day is sufficient once your body gets accustomed to it. However, poor sleep has been found to cause significant fatigue and elevate the risk for serious health problems, like memory loss, diminished motor skills, errors in judgement, and even negative changes in diet and appetite.

There are also several stages of sleep that scientists have identified to be important throughout the night, including light sleep, deep sleep, and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Sleeping too little also means that you would not have achieved the full sleep cycle required to properly recharge your body and mind, the benefits of which include improving overall mood and productivity.

In fact, according to a recent ResMed survey, 28 per cent of Indians face difficulties to achieve a balanced work-life, and 51 per cent of Indian need to carry a tracker during the night sleep. Because sleeping well should not be considered a one-night phenomenon, here are some tips to improve your sleep each night.

Steps To Practising Better Sleep Hygiene

1. Refrain from smoking and consuming excessive caffeine and alcohol: Avoid smoking, alcohol, tea, soda, coffee, and even chocolate in the hours before you go to sleep. These cause sleep latency, and alcohol disrupts the quality of sleep.
2. Create a bedtime routine. This can help regulate your biological clock, and you tend to feel sleepy automatically as you approach your routine rest time. For example, taking a shower, stretching, or reading a physical book can help your brain wind down and get into sleep mode. A routine can also help you wake up on time as well.
3. Avoiding bright lights or mobile devices before bed can also help prepare your body to fall asleep. While commonly mistaken for stress relief, electronic devices (online entertainment especially) particularly detract from sleep quality and quantity. The lack of brightness in the room or blue light from lack of gadget usage helps your body shift away from the active mode of the day into sleep mode.
4. Instil some relaxation before bedtime by practising activities that help relax your mind, including doing exercises like meditation or writing to-do lists for work or personal commitments you have for the next day.

Sleeping Better Means Feeling Better

Sleep is an inseparable aspect of our life and is closely tied to mental well-being. Understanding its implications on our overall health will go a long way. While everyone might experience a lousy night of sleep occasionally, it is important to be aware of how sleep can affect our health, so we can take action to get a better night's sleep, every night. Our study found that those who had a good night's sleep tended to be more productive at work the next day (23 per cent), had more patience for others (21 per cent) or were more likely to spend more time with their children (20 per cent).

For those who have tried these steps or actions but continue to struggle with proper sleep, you may wish to start a conversation with your family doctor and share your sleep concerns. It may help you better understand your risk of having a sleep disorder like sleep apnoea or insomnia. This could help you take control of your sleep issues and may ultimately improve your overall health.

In the end, understanding how you can get a better night's sleep means providing your body with the ability to take a restorative journey to prepare itself for the new day. So, take that first step to have a healthy mind and well-rested body by improving your sleep today.

(The article is contributed by Dr Sibasish Dey, Head - Medical Affairs, South Asia, ResMed)

https://www.thehealthsite.com/news/better-sleep-is-good-for-your-well-being-heres-how-to-practice-better-sleep-hygiene-884075/