Some changes in habits can help and greatly improve the quality of sleep, without having to resort to the use of medications or specific treatments.
It is worth mentioning that the cases must be analyzed individually, especially when referring to sleep disorders, as they can be caused by more serious conditions, which require a medical evaluation and specific treatment.
However, there are some precautions that are within the reach of all of us and that will do good for anyone who is having trouble sleeping or who wants to continue maintaining quality sleep. Some of these habits are:
Contents
Regular hours
Just as we often need an alarm clock to wake up, the ideal thing would be for us to also have a way of controlling the time when we go to sleep.
Maintaining fixed times for waking up and getting up helps our body to establish a rhythm, which provides better quality of sleep and helps to avoid episodes of insomnia or excessive sleepiness. These times must also be maintained during the weekend and holidays.
Sleeping songs
The songs are present in various moments of our lives, being able to arouse different emotions. In relation to sleep, they can also help us.
Some studies show that listening to music before bed can help you relax and, thus, alleviate insomnia.
However, not all types of music are recommended. For those who are having difficulty sleeping, the ideal is to opt for playlists with calm and slow sounds, relaxing, hypnotic and contemplative rhythms.
Controlling breathing
Keeping a deeper, rhythmic breath helps the mind to calm down and the muscles to relax. There are several techniques and models that can be used to improve breathing. When it comes to falling asleep or in times of great stress , the 4-7-8 model can help.
To do this breathing, you need to settle in bed with your back straight and press the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth.
Keeping this position and with your mouth closed, inhale through your nose counting to 4, hold your breath counting to 7 and exhale through your mouth counting to 8. Ideally, repeat until you complete four complete breaths.
Healthy eating
Eating nutrient-rich foods, in addition to helping with other aspects of health, also contributes to the quality of sleep. During the day, try to maintain balanced eating habits and close to bedtime opt for lighter meals.
Physical exercises
The biological cycle (circadian rhythm) is responsible for influencing the body’s functions such as digestion, wakefulness, sleep and cell renewal, and the practice of physical exercises is related to its functioning.
For the exercise practiced to be beneficial for the health of sleep, it is best to do it at times that are far from bedtime, at least 4 hours before bedtime. The time considered ideal for exercising, in this case, would be during the morning.
Avoid caffeinated drinks
It is recommended that the consumption of stimulating foods and drinks be avoided during the night, approximately from 5pm, as it can prevent sleep. Some drinks that should be avoided are coffee, tea, mate, green tea , black tea and soft drinks cola or guarana.
Instead of these drinks, people can choose foods that stimulate sleep, such as warm milk or a calming tea, such as chamomile.
Comfort and silence
Having a comfortable and quiet room are favorable factors for a good night’s sleep. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to details such as choosing a suitable mattress, a good pillow, making use of curtains that make the room darker and paying attention to the temperature of the room.
Sleep hygiene measures
Despite the unusual name, sleep hygiene measures are simple changes during the day to day to improve the way we deal with this essential activity.
The measures listed above are some of the changes present in this sleep hygiene process. Other habits include:
- Sleep only as long as necessary to feel rested, avoiding prolonging sleep even when you don’t have an appointment on the day;
- In the case of people who have insomnia, it is also advisable to avoid naps during the day until sleep is regular during the night;
- Avoid stimulating activities before bed, such as watching movies of genres such as action or horror, video games or staying on the computer / cell phone;
- Use the bed only to sleep and have sex, avoiding associating other activities with it, such as work, study, reading, etc;
- Seek relaxing activities before bed, such as deep breathing;
- When lying down and not falling asleep within approximately 20 minutes, it is best to get up and try to return after a few minutes.
