There are a few things that you can do to improve your sleep
habits and improve your quality of sleep. The first thing that you can do is to
get a good night's sleep every night by following these simple tips:
Avoid caffeine after 3 p.m. - Coffee, tea, and other
caffeine-containing drinks can keep you up at night. Try to avoid them as much
as possible to ensure a good night's sleep.
Establish a regular sleep schedule - When you establish a
regular sleep schedule, it becomes easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Try
to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to avoid disrupting your
circadian rhythm.
Avoid screens before bed - Screens emit blue light, which has
been shown to suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone that helps you
fall asleep. try to avoid screens before bed to get a good night's sleep.
better sleep
Several factors can contribute to better sleep. Awareness of
these small factors is important for better sleep to happen. Some of these aspects
include: creating a comfortable environment, selecting a pillow that suits you,
getting enough sleep at the right time, and relaxing your mind before going off
to sleep too early or staying awake all night because this was uncomfortable
for you.
Some simple things can make a difference in your sleep quality
beyond the pillow, bed linen, and mattress itself. These include purring cats,
heat lamps designed for dogs (which turn themselves off when you're asleep),
lap bands that create low-pressure air during breathing helping to preserve
higher levels of oxygen consumption thus increasing carbon dioxide ventilation
gas output to naturally assist bedroom circulation to close the curtains to
avoid excessive light exposure especially if you are blind or very sensitive to
light.
The next time that you relax and go to sleep, try putting on a
bit of soothing music- pop or classical; this tends not only to help your mind
but also tenders the muscles helpful in deeper breathing therefore compromising
sound waves which can aid sleep at nighttime. One who is a great sleeper will
typically have less sleep than one who gets little or no rest.
sleep disorders
A study presented at the June 2015 sleep conference in Seattle suggests that those surrounded by clutter were more likely to have sleep disorders. They also found that their bedroom was a mess, and not just because they had too much stuff! In another study published earlier this year, sleep disorders became particularly common among women whose bedrooms featured bright lights or televisions (106). Many other factors can result in sleep disorders like work, age, and genetics.
The paper described more than 3,000 cases of snoring behaviors
among patients of an otolaryngology clinic at Harvard Medical School between 2001
and 2011 which led to the identification of over 90% had sleep apnea with
associated complications including hypertension, increased cholesterol, and
high blood pressure (106). Researchers also noticed early-onset insomnias were
more common among patients who were overweight, non-smokers, and had
comorbidities (106). This phenomenon directly links snoring to sleep apnea.
Sleepwalking is another way in which insomnia sufferers can have
their health affected by improper bedroom habits. It is classified as somnambulistic
behavior where the person acts out of a complete state of mindlessness during
deep sleep or half stage 3 NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep. It is not
uncommon among people who suffer from restless leg syndrome, though. Numerous
case studies are showing that people with this disorder have gotten themselves
into mischief at night only to redress it in the morning when they go their
separate ways for sleeping and waking. And we all know about sleepwalking but
had never realized its cause was insomnia because of poor bedroom habits such
as excessive tossing-and-turning or too much TV watching before bed.
Developmental dyslexia is another disorder that's negatively
affecting school performance due to sleeping habits. It has more negative
cognitive consequences when sleep is experienced during the daytime and thus,
proper bedroom habits are crucial in preventing this.
trouble sleeping
Recent research shows that sleeping trouble is more common than we think. For example, one study offered by the neurophysiology of sleep and wakefulness in humans report 80% of subjects reported trouble sleeping at this point. Moreover, a survey cited above found 20% difficulty sleeping due to flu-like symptoms or mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.
The second half of the sleep cycle in which REM deep naps are
dominant is crucial because it helps consolidate memory while training the
brain to be calm and alert, thus soothing insomnia sufferers. Moreover, this
part of sleep has potential therapeutic benefits for those suffering from
autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) –
major confounding factors that may trigger other chronic ailments into
insomnia.
Hypersomnia and Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS) are other conditions
that have been shown to derive from chronic sleep deprivation since the latter
describes a condition in which individuals suffer from too much sleep, or
hypersomnia (2). Aside from its negative impact on mental health and physical
well-being, there is also evidence it increases chances of developing
neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia later in life – both clinical
findings seen in current and former college athletes.
Alternative treatment options are less common but recommended
for treating insomnia, especially at the sleep clinic. On top of prescribing
sedating sleeping pills such as zopiclone (e.g., Imovane) for sufferers that
severely suffer from hypersomnia without mental health conditions such as KLS
or with only mild symptoms like anxiety disorders to interfere with
optimum sensitivity, other measures must be taken when appropriate.
The most common approach is to treat the underlying illnesses
that are supposed to incorporate a sleep disorder as well, with selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants serving this
function. According to the Cochrane review, there is evidence that
antidepressants do suppress hypersomnolence but with slight insomnia-related
issues. On a positive note, unlike in restorative sleep or obstructive sleep
apnea (OSA) treatments where patients need to be compliant for around 6 months
and take medications daily without fail for efficient results, this will only
last about 5 weeks upon the use of an SSRI medication as prescribed by doctors.
sleep medicine
Spending a little time on sleep hygiene can improve sleep and the quality of life. Good sleep hygiene requires developing habits that promote good sleep; these include avoiding caffeine close to bedtime, exercising daily, eating dinner between 6 and 8 p.m., maintaining regular rest periods during the day when possible, keeping your room cool at night (ideally around 66 degrees F), turning off televisions and computers an hour or two before bedtime, using earplugs if you wear them all day, turning down the temperature in the bed to around 65-68 degrees F and avoiding alcohol at least one hour before bedtime. Exercising regularly (a minimum of 20 minutes) can help people sleep; however, daily aerobic exercise—such as walking or biking—is better than spending an equal amount of time on sit-ups or circuit training. Daily relaxation training is also shown to decrease insomnia. When a lack of sleep can be attributed to environmental factors (like insane city noise or many street lights), applying basic engineering principles—such as placing the house on stilts, regularizing latencies for metering water, and trimming trees–can improve cerebral blood circulation, thus allowing cells in reticular nuclei in the brainstem area's higher-order association cortex to allow even deeper cortical stimulation followed by a production of melatonin for deep sleep.
It is common to suffer from chronic insomnia, with roughly 32%
(for adults in the United States) likely to experience symptoms that interfere
with their daily activities at least one day a month, and almost half will do
so more than once per year. In adolescents, 20–25% may have periodic
difficulties sleeping altogether; therefore it can be easily seen how important
good quality sleep becomes when considering recovery as well as performance.
Although in adults and adolescents it is still thought that sleep disorders
commonly happen because of disturbances during the "dreaming" phase,
especially those from narcolepsy (cataplexy) or shift work disorder who may take
what is termed non-REM stages more seriously for their dreams than normal
individuals, this has since been found to be an inaccurate hypothesis.
good night's sleep
You sleep more soundly, you feel it the next day and a good night's sleep is probably one of the best things you can do for your body. Sleep is an essential element to health, and a lack of sleep is just as detrimental. A good night's sleep can substantially improve your overall well-being; one study found that people who slept five hours or less per night were 65% more likely to die during the two years following their examination than those over seven hours (Friedman & Valvassori 2004). The biochemistry underlying this benefit suggests that sleeping improves your brain chemistry by decreasing levels of glucose and insulin, which stimulates neural growth. Of course, a good night's sleep is best when you allow yourself to rest according to your exhaustion level; if preferred not to come into work late an hour or two before the start of working hours. It would be very unwise for someone who usually falls asleep at 11 pm but seems fit enough to finish off their shift then drives home.
Healthy sleeping habits consist of one key element: sleeping in
a quiet, darkroom. With modern technology making our world much noisier and
more distracting than it ever has been, sleep deprivation may be the root cause
of many chronic diseases such as diabetes. Noise (in particular light) is an
obvious producer of stress hormones that interfere with otherwise healthy
serotonin levels; however, exposure to even low lighting still depletes
melatonin which disturbs normal circadian rhythms in humans by limiting
night-time darkness and exposure time to outside light. With these damaging
effects in mind, the important and effective element of lighting for sleep is a
proper shade that does not interfere with your body clock. To do this – you may
need to invest some money into an adequate lampshade for reading; however,
aside from that, there are also other options such as using old shower
curtains. Interior color schemes should be neutral or pastel hues that serve
only one specific purpose: keeping out unwanted daylight. If you insist on a
glamorous glow from lamps in the bedroom then pets, proximity to night-time
street lighting and window blinds should be avoided; as well as overhead lights
staining walls with shadow.
Can cost-effective sources of light for reading include
fluorescents – which are not just more efficient but will last much longer than
incandescent bulbs because they use higher wattage (fluorescent tubes usually
have three levels: full power, 40 percent power, and 20 percent); office
lighting – with lamps fitted within the room, fluorescent lights are better for
reading than overhead or bare bulbs; household flashlights (if you only have
one to work with) which can be powered by various methods such as battery
packs, rechargeable batteries in cars, solar cells and hand cranking, etc.
One important element to consider when trying to get a good
night's sleep is the type of light that is allowed in the bedroom. There are
both healthy and unhealthy ways to brighten your home during the evening hours
and it's important to find an option that works for you without disrupting your
body's natural rhythm. A few cost-effective options include using fluorescent
lighting or household flashlights, as well as investing in an adequate
lampshade for reading. These can all serve to promote good quality sleep
without over-stimulating the brain.
Another interesting idea is using a type of illuminated
magnifier. Magnifiers are commonly used in classrooms, libraries, and offices
because they allow people who possess partial vision or visual loss (a
condition known as "stenosis") to view things that would otherwise be
invisible – such as maps, books, etc., but these devices have also found their
way into bedrooms due to their practicality. It is unknown how people developed
a liking for such devices, but modern manufacturers claim that this type of
"visual assistance" can provide much-needed illumination and will
make things like sleeping easier because it helps reduce eye strain in the
evening.
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