If you regularly lose sleep or have poor sleeping habits, you can increase your risk for poor health.
Ongoing loss of sleep is linked to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and obesity. It’s also linked to memory problems, forgetfulness, and more falls or accidents, largely due to the low energy levels and inability to focus or concentrate that is caused by sleep loss.So far, research finds most people need about seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
So far, research finds most people need about seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
Here are tips to achieve quality sleep:
Establish a pattern of going to bed and waking at the same time every day (yes, even on non-workdays).
Get into the habit of relaxing and winding down before bedtime. Try meditating, doing a gentle stretching routine, taking a warm bath or shower or drinking herbal teas that promote relaxation (chamomile, passionflower, or lemon balm are some examples).
Avoid having your cell phone, computer, tablet or a television in your bedroom. While some people find they can fall asleep quickly watching television, the quality of sleep is highly debatable. Blue light emitted from tablets, cell phones and even the television can affect your body’s ability to have a deep, uninterrupted sleep as some of us are more sensitive to the light from electronic devices (children especially).
Experiment with avoiding electronic devices 30 minutes before bedtime, if you have trouble sleeping. In addition, overwhelming the mind with information, particularly stressful information on the late-night news, may also interfere with falling and staying asleep.
Caffeine before bed may or may not affect sleep quality. You’ll have to decide for yourself how caffeine affects you. However, alcohol consumed too close to bedtime has shown consistent negative effects on the majority. Studies show alcohol before bed may help you fall asleep but, unfortunately, it may not be quality sleep. Instead, you could experience frequent awakenings, less restful sleep, headaches, night sweats and even nightmares. Balance each alcoholic drink you have with a glass of water to help dilute the alcohol’s side effects.
A better idea is to try to avoid alcohol four to six hours before bedtime, especially on those nights when you are really in need of a deep, restful sleep.
Large meals, especially those higher in fat and protein, take longer and are more work for the body to digest, therefore large meals may affect sleep. However, if you are hungry, you won’t be able to fall asleep. Therefore, opt for smaller meals of mostly vegetables, which are easier to digest. There is no truth to the belief that any food eaten before bedtime becomes body fat. It really depends on who you are: we are all individual and too many other factors are involved.
Generally, if you overeat the amount of food you need daily, no matter what time of day it is, you will gain weight. But the veggies you eat before your head hits the pillow won’t go to your hips if your body didn’t meet its caloric needs throughout the day.
Other more long-term habits to add to your lifestyle are getting regular, moderate exercise, eating a healthy diet and learning stress control techniques (like meditation). Experiment with these or the other suggestions in this article, and hopefully your sleep quality will improve.
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Eve Lees has been active in the health & fitness industry since 1979. Currently, she is a Freelance Health Writer for several publication and speaks to business and private groups on various health topics.