Having trouble sleeping? You could unknowingly be doing things throughout your day that leave you wide eyed at night.
Sleep is a crucial part to your daily cycle and overall health. Not only does your body rest and replenish over night, but sleep also plays a crucial role in the functioning of your immune system, memory, metabolism and other vital parts of living.
Experts tell us that the body of a normal adult needs at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night to get all its healthy benefits.
If you’re unable to get some quality shut eye, these reasons and handy tips that will help you sleep might be the life changing news you’ve been waiting for.
- Alcohol
Although alcohol might help make a smooth transition between being awake and asleep, research results tell us that this smooth sailing won’t last all night. Alcohol is said to disrupt Rapid Eye Movement sleep (REM sleep), which is part of the sleep cycle. REM sleep is the part of sleep where our dreams are most vivid and is said to influence memory.
2. Caffeine Catastrophe
Many of us know the impacts caffeine has on our abilities to sleep, but what you might not have known is that these impacts can happen when caffeine is digested even 6 hours before bed time! Caffeine stimulates the nervous system, which makes us more alert and less likely to sleep. Try swapping caffeine laced drinks with herbal teas such as chamomile.
3. Step Away From Social Media
Do you scroll through facebook posts or tweets before bed? This could be the reason your staying awake way pass your intended bed time. You might be trying to wear yourself down but the light emitted from electronic devices is said to disrupt our circadian rhythms, or body clocks.
4. Eat Small Dinners
Ever heard the rhyme, “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen and dinner like a pauper”? This will not only help with weight loss but also help you fall asleep. Eating a large meal before bed will require more energy to digest, making it harder for your mind to switch off. Try eating no later than 2-3hours before bed.
5. Argue Less
Try avoiding arguments before bedtime. The unsolved problem will make it impossible for your mind to rest and the loss of sleep isn’t worth it. Take the time old advice to sleep on it instead
Top 3 reasons why sleep is important.
- For optimal physical growth
- For overall wellness
- For regeneration, rest and reduction of stress
