Sleep plays a very vital role in one’s health, but it is the one that is commonly overlooked. A good night’s rest is equally important as eating right and exercising regularly, yet most adults aren’t doing it. Some might be directly at fault due to their lifestyle choices, while other might be suffering from a sleeping disorder called insomnia. Insomnia is not fatal, but it can affect one’s daily performance and overall health.
Insomnia is when a person does not get an adequate amount of sleep because of several factors like difficulty in falling or remaining asleep, frequently waking up all throughout the night, irregular sleeping hours, and poor quality of sleep. There are other factors that affect insomnia such as mental and emotional wellness: people who are stressed out and depressed also fall victim into this disorder. For others, they may have inflicted this upon themselves knowingly or unknowingly: too much intake of caffeine, new sleeping environment, or body pains such as injuries, arthritis, neck and back problems, etc). While some causes might require medical attention to remedy, there are other things one can do to help get a good rest at night.
The most basic but not entirely easy to do (especially for insomniacs) is to get in and out of bed at the same time for several days. Some might find it difficult to get up in the morning and might experience tiredness, but this will also pass. For people who still experience insomnia or have sleeping problems, it might be a good idea to wake up half an hour earlier in the morning, but this will help in getting better sleep in the evening.
Most doctors also recommend their patients not to force themselves to go to sleep when they can’t. If a person cannot fall asleep after 30 minutes, then he or she should find other activities that are relaxing like listening to classical music or meditating. Once the activity is done, a person should just go back to bed when they are sleepy. Make sure to still follow the same time in getting up so as not to disturb the body clock.
A person should be conscious of his or her body clock as well. The body clock is sensitive to light as the latter conditions and sets the body clock. When sleeping, it is advisable to keep the environment dark or close to total darkness as possible and upon getting up, introduce light by drawing up the curtains or switching on the light. Some might find using an alarm clock very helpful in getting out of bed, while others prefer to do quick exercises like walking around the room and stretches to wake their body out of slumber.
Exercise or going to gym should be avoided in the evening; instead, it should be done during the day to wake the body up. People tend to get a good night’s rest if they eat lighter meals and avoid excessive alcohol and caffeine intake before going to bed. Avoid drinking coffee in the late afternoon and evenings. Instead, drink only coffee in the morning and limit intake to about two cups a day.
