Hi! Friends, Hope you are all healthy and fine. Today’s wellness blog is about Healthy pre-sleep habits. In today’s digital age full of distractions one of the major problems that many of us face is lack of sleep. A quality night’s sleep can keep you energetic & focused on the other hand interrupted sleep can make you feel tired and lethargic. Also, lack of proper sleep can lead to various physical and mental health problems and can also affect your productivity at work.
There are many reasons for poor sleep like stress, anxiety, uncomfortable beds, outside noise, digital addiction, and more. As per the report published in TOI, India is the second most sleep-deprived country in the world after Japan. So it is important to figure out where we are going wrong & what needs to be done to fix your sleep. From staying healthy to staying productive for a whole day, there are several reasons why getting a good night’s sleep is essential. Our capacity for learning memory and emotional equilibrium is based on our sleep quality. When we sleep our brain processes data & creates long-term memories. So it is extremely important to get enough sleep so that our brains can function at their best capabilities.
Given below are some healthy pre-sleep habits that you can incorporate into your daily lives for a quality night’s sleep –
1. Create a Sleep Schedule – A sleep schedule is to fix a time for going to bed and for getting up the next morning. Try to follow the same on weekends as well. Sunday can be an exception though. The ideal sleep schedule is to go to bed by 11 at night & to get up between 6 to 6:30 AM. However, depending on your working hours and other priorities you can adjust the sleep schedule. Once you develop a regular sleep schedule, you will feel sleepy as your bedtime approaches which in turn can lead to a sound night’s sleep.
2. Meditation – Keeping your mind calm before you go to sleep is very important, especially in today’s distracted world. Meditation is one of the best ways to calm and relax your mind. So start meditating once you hit the bed. If you are not used to meditation then at least start with meditating for a minute & after that increase the timespan. Try to meditate at least for 5 minutes and this in turn will help to improve your sleep pattern.
3. Eat your last meal on time – Whether it’s a dinner or a meal replacement meal make it a point to eat it at least an hour before you go to bed. Going to bed immediately after your last meal can lead to acid reflux which can cause heartburn or chest pain which is not all ideal for a quality sleep. Also, make it a point to have a light meal at night as eating heavily just before you go to bed can cause indigestion which will also very much affect your sleep.
4. Ditch your Mobile Phones at least an hour before you go to bed – Earlier it was a TV but currently it is all about Mobile & the never-ending Reels (of which around 80% are useless) which we keep on browsing before going to bed or when we are on the bed. The best thing is to switch off your phone’s internet at least an hour before you go to bed. Getting away from the digital screen calms your mind & helps to control your thoughts. This goes a long way in improving your sleep quality.
5. Read an actual paper book before you go to sleep – If you are under constant stress then start reading a book before you sleep. Reading a self-help book or an interesting novel can be a perfect positive distraction from worries and overwhelming emotions that can disrupt sleep. Reading yourself to sleep with something positive and engaging may make you mull over what you read when you hit the bed instead of the tensions & worries you experience throughout the day.
6. Create a Comfortable sleep environment – Try to create a comfortable sleep environment for sound sleep. Check whether you are using proper cushions & pillows, whether there is enough darkness in the room, and whether your room is free from any noise distraction. If these things are not sorted then get them sorted at the earliest to improve your sleep quality.
So given above are some healthy pre-sleep habits that you can think of implementing if you are facing sleep disorders. You can install the above pre-sleep habits to improve your sleep quality & your overall health. If you want to dive deep into the topic of quality sleep then you can refer to the Sleep Foundation Website for more information.