Healthy Habits for a good nights sleep

Healthy Habits for a good nights sleep

Sleep?

Why do we do it?

Did you know you spend 25 years or a third of your life sleeping.

So what does it mean to have good sleep hygiene?

And what does that even mean sleep hygiene?

Well, it actually means setting aside time away from devices that emit blue light, tablets, laptops, phones, and gadgets. Allowing oneself to unwind from the daily activities.

Here are some helpful tips to help you sleep better:

1. Digital detox. Unplug. Switch off that phone. Place it on do not disturb mode. Place it away from immediate contact.

2. Meditate. Take in a deep breath. Focus on your breathing. People who meditate before sleeping are more likely to have more productive sleep. ?

3. Stay in a dark room. Melatonin that regulates the circadian rhythm, that is the sleep-wake cycle is produced at night, so stay in a room that is dark. This is in line with reducing light emissions from phones, tablets etc.

4. Focus on sleeping. Your body needs rest. Rest does not have to be earned.

5. Wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. This should also include over the weekends.

6. Avoiding long periods of wakefulness in bed.

7. Not using the bed as a place to read, watch television, or work.

8. Leaving the bed and not returning until drowsy if sleep does not begin within a set period (e.g., 20–30 minutes)

9. Avoiding napping

10. Exercising at least three or four times a week (but not in the evening if this interferes with sleep)

11. Discontinuing or reducing the consumption of alcoholic beverages, beverages containing caffeine - skip that evening coffee/tea.

What is very important about sleep is the quality and duration

How much sleep do I need?

An average adult needs 6 to 7 hours of sleep in order to function properly. The average healthy adult requires about 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep per night, although some persons require more and some less to feel sufficiently rested.

What are the adverse effects of not getting enough sleep?

·????????Reduced productivity at work or school. Most people can attest to the fact that the days where they were their least productive, they had not slept adequately the night before.

·????????Irritability

·????????Daytime somnolence

·????????Depression, anxiety, and cognitive changes

·????????Persistent sleep disturbances (both insomnia and excessive sleepiness) are established risk factors for the subsequent development of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

·????????A sleep disorder may also represent a prodromal expression of an episode of mental illness, allowing the possibility of early intervention to preempt or attenuate a full-blown episode.

So what is insomnia?

A predominant complaint of dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality that is associated with,

1. Difficulty initiating sleep.

2. Difficulty maintaining sleep, characterized by frequent awakenings or problems returning to sleep after awakenings.

3. Early-morning awakening with inability to return to sleep.

B. The sleep disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational,educational, academic, behavioral areas.

C. The sleep difficulty occurs at least 3 nights per week.

D. The sleep difficulty is present for at least 3 months.

E. The sleep difficulty occurs despite adequate opportunity for sleep.

F. The insomnia is not better explained by and does not occur exclusively during the course of another sleep disorder.

G. The insomnia is not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug

of abuse, a medication).

H. Coexisting mental disorders and medical conditions do not adequately explain the predominant

complaint of insomnia.

Source: DSM V

So what can I do about it?

Remember that sleep disorders are numerous.

That the lifestyles that we engage in can predispose us to developing stress and subsequent sleep disorders.

I can take control of my sleep health but taking charge of my sleep hygiene.

I can consult my healthcare professional about a prolonged sleeping problem.

Until next week, here are some interesting resources about sleep.?

Here are some useful tools I found interesting to read:

Scientists debunk sleep myths:

Watch the full video on:

https://youtu.be/Aoaec1Npjoc

Sleep is your superpower:

https://youtu.be/5MuIMqhT8DM

Thank you for connecting with my content and have a fantastic week!