Sleeping for eight hours is often believed to be necessary for an average adult, which is partially accurate, but research and studies reveal that sleeping for 6-7 hours is sufficient as long as it is uninterrupted and of excellent quality. But the most individuals fail to get enough sleep due to their hectic schedules and poor sleeping habits. Instead of resting, they lie on their beds for hours, browsing through their phones, watching TV, or working which leads to sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation or inadequate sleep has a number of negative consequences for your physical and mental health. It makes you irritated and anxious, and it reduces your productivity by causing you to lose concentration and attention. It also has an effect on your eating habits. Stress, anxiety, weight gain, and a variety of chronic conditions have also been linked to insufficient or disrupted sleep.
To achieve better sleep, you must first understand your sleeping habits and patterns and then make small but effective changes.
CAFFEINE & SLEEP
One of the most common causes of sleep loss is caffeine use in the evening or before night. Caffeine includes stimulants that keep you awake and alert while also making falling asleep harder as it comes to sleep because even a cup three to four hours before bedtime can disrupt and postpone your sleep for four to six hours.
Solution: Avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages such as chocolate, cold drinks, tea, or energy drinks at least 5 hours before bedtime for a healthy night's sleep.
KEEP YOUR ELECTRONIC GADGETS AWAY
Mobile phones have become everyone's new best friend, and being without one for even a few hours may make you worried. However, using your phone late at night might disrupt your sleep pattern. The blue light emitted by our phones' displays and other electronic gadgets, such as televisions, laptops, and tablets, reaches our eyes almost instantly, signalling our minds to stay awake and alert, thus disrupting and delaying sleep.
Solution: Cut off your night screen time and keep your devices, especially your phone away before going to bed.
HEAVY & UNHEALTHY MEALS OR SNACKS
To function and stay healthy, our bodies require energy and nutrients such as proteins, calcium, and vitamins, which are obtained from food. Food that is nutrients rich and healthy. However, instead of a nutritious meal, many individuals choose heavy, oily, and unhealthy snacks or dinner, which take significantly longer and need much more energy to digest. This sort of meal raises body warmth and creates heartburn, making falling asleep difficult.
Solution: Eat a light, healthy, and easily digested supper roughly 3 hours before bedtime to provide time for digestion and body temperature to drop.
MATTRESS
A Good Mattress will help you fall asleep faster, but a poor mattress will make sleeping harder. If you wake up in the middle of the night tossing and turning rather than sleeping, it's possible that your mattress isn't comfy or firm enough for you to get comfortable or have a decent night's sleep.
Solution: Invest in a high-quality, Comfortable Mattress that will give you optimal comfort and support, as well as a good night's sleep, so you can wake up feeling refreshed and energised.
BRIGHT LIGHTS
Sleep, like all of our other bodily processes, is a methodical process that is influenced by a variety of external and internal influences. Melatonin, a hormone, is the most important component in getting enough sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that our bodies release at night or when our surroundings are dark to help us sleep, and it is stopped during the day when we are exposed to light.
For the same reason, specialists recommend that we expose ourselves to light during the day and keep our surroundings dark at night so that our bodies can create melatonin and we can fall asleep easily.
Solution: Turn off the light and cover the windows to block out any light in your room at night so you can get a good night's sleep that doesn't require 8 hours.
SNORING
Snoring is a problem that affects practically everyone at some time in their life. Narrowed or clogged airways vibrate when air travels through them, causing it. A lack of sleep, a bad sleeping posture, a nasal disease, or a naturally restricted airway might all be contributing factors. Snoring frequently disrupts your and your partner's sleep and makes it tough to fall asleep, stay asleep or both.
Solution: Consult your doctor and attempt to lose weight and avoid sleeping on your back, since both can lead to trouble breathing and promote snoring and sleep disturbances.
STRESS & ANXIETY
Stress and worry force us to overthink the same circumstance or problem, causing tension, a hyperactive mind, and a higher heart rate, all of which contribute to our staying awake. It can cause insomnia and other sleep difficulties, as well as harm physical and emotional health. Your body and mind must be peaceful and relaxed in order to have a good night's sleep. However, stress and anxiety, as well as weariness, may make it difficult to fall asleep or sleep soundly.
Solution: A short yoga or meditation session can help you relax, relieve tension, reduce anxiety, and help to have a better sleep.
SLEEP DISORDERS
Sleep disorders occur when you have difficulty falling asleep, sleeping well, or sleeping enough for a lengthy period of time. Sleep disorders might be caused by a medical or mental problem and it can make irritated, fatigued, restless, less focused and physically ill.
Solution: Sleep disturbances are not treatable with over-the-counter medications. See your doctor and receive the proper treatment.
To live a healthy life and maintain a healthy lifestyle, you must first comprehend the importance of getting enough sleep. Quality sleep is not defined as sleeping for 8 or 9 hours and waking up fatigued; rather, quality sleep is defined as sleeping for fewer than 8 hours and waking up refreshed, renewed, and fully awake, with the energy to handle all of your daily tasks.
Experts agree that a few hours of calm, high-quality sleep is better than eight hours of restless, fragmented sleep. Sleep is important for your health because it keeps your mind active and focused, reduces stress and anxiety, and allows you to get the rest and rejuvenation you need.