This quote which could have been laughed at in the past has become a sad reality. Work timings, distractions and changes in schedules have upset sleep routines. People have sleep issues ranging from minor disturbances to major sleep disorders. A lack of sleep at night causes drowsiness during the day, which has a direct impact on productivity.
What leads to sleeplessness and sleep disorders? Here are a few causes:
- Stress: When thoughts and worries flit across your mind, it becomes difficult to bring it to a restful state.
Activity: Children are active during the day, which is why they are able to sleep more than once and for longer hours. If your nature of work is sedentary, the body is not exerted enough to sleep much.
Caffeine Intake: The amount of caffeine you consume, and the time at which you consume, determines how well you sleep. Some people may have trouble sleeping in the night even if the last dose of caffeine is taken as early as 4 pm.
Food Intake: The type of food you eat determines your quality of sleep. If the food taken is heavy, it may cause sluggishness but the discomfort may not allow a peaceful sleep.
Napping: Taking naps during the day may freshen you up and at the same time may delay your sleep at night. On an average the adult body needs 6-7 hours of sleep daily, and that can differ from person to person. Whatever amount of sleep helps you wake up with freshness and vigor is the right amount of sleep for you!
- Exposure to screens: One of the most common practices before sleeping is to spend time on the phone, watching movies or browsing social media. While it may be good to connect with family and friends, social media and advertisements can make you feel unsettled with what you don’t have, and this lack of instant gratification can make you feel unsecured. Would you really like to go to bed feeling discontented and unsatisfied?
Moreover, the light emitted from the screen of your gadget is not only harmful for your eyes, especially in a dark room, but it also adversely affects secretion of the sleep hormone, melatonin. This in turn makes it difficult to fall asleep and also affects the quality of sleep.
Sleep issues begin with minor changes in sleep schedules and can escalate to full-blown disorders requiring treatment from medical professionals. So why not start changing your sleep habits from today! Here are a few tips that can help you relax:
- Complete all your work at least 3 hours before you sleep. Don’t think about work once you are in bed. Avoid using the bed for work or work-related activities.
- Eat your meal 2-3 hours before sleep, giving your body the time to digest.
- Engage in some activities that you find relaxing. Avoid the screen.
- Use dim lights or lamps in the room you sleep.
- Use some soothing aroma’s like lavender and vetiver in the room.
- Try out the Heartyculture Sleep Well Roll-On for a good nights sleep.
- Try relaxation and meditation.
- Yawn, stretch and go to sleep!
Don’t feel guilty about catching your two winks this National Public Sleeping Day, celebrate with Heartyculture!