There is nothing exciting today to write on current affairs, so I am switching over to a health topic.
Good sleep is a blessing and it is also crucial for a healthy life. Generally, an adult human will need anywhere around 7-9 hours of sleep every day. Many issues affect our sleep, like illness, pain, frequent urination, stress or anxiety, other disturbances, etc. Some people, even without any of these issues may complain about not getting good or enough sleep. Which in the end leads people, dozing off during the day when they are not supposed to.
It is essential to follow a few steps to try and get good sleep, and it has been seen that few tips certainly help with this. Here are few things that can be tried for a good night’s sleep.
Stay Active
An important aspect of getting good sleep is to ensure that the body gets some good regular exercise. The more lethargic we become, the more difficult it is to get a good sleep in the night. Staying active helps to get you tired enough to want to rest and fall asleep easily at night. Try to find activities to keep you busy throughout the day, and follow this routine.
Avoid Afternoon Naps
Generally, it is good to have a ‘power nap’ or ‘cat nap’, but it is not good to have a nap that is quite long. This can easily interfere with your night’s sleep. Try to limit your daytime naps and this will definitely boost your night’s sleep.
Avoid Consumption Of Certain Things
Consumption of certain items like caffeine, alcohol, or tobacco, can also affect your sleep. Caffeine consumption should be limited to the mornings, and alcohol and nicotine should be avoided to the extent possible. These are harmful to your health as well as your sleep. They are stimulants that can adversely affect you
Follow A Routine
Generally, you should follow a routine and keep the same routine almost daily. There should be regular early wake-up time, even if you do not have to go to work etc. A morning walk, any exercise, or yoga is good in the morning. It stimulates your mind positively. This is to be followed by breakfast and lunch. A small post-lunch nap or watching TV can be followed by some healthy snacks with tea, and early night dinner is good. This helps your body to digest the food by the time you go to sleep. You will feel body relaxed which will lead to sleep, without any disturbances. You may have a glass of warm milk at night, this also helps in getting sleep.
Avoid Devices
For about half an hour to one hour before going to sleep, please avoid staring at devices like line TV, mobile, or laptops, as that can affect your sleep. This kindles your brain into an active mode, and then it takes some time for the brain to get relaxed again.
Calm Your Mind
It is important to put your mind at ease to feel relaxed and fall asleep fast. If you have any worries or anxiety, you could try meditation before sleeping. Even doing some mild stretches or simple yoga poses is also good for falling asleep.
Shut The Disturbances
If others in the house are up and around and are watching TV, etc. make sure to pull your door to ensure you are not disturbed by the sound. Also, pull your curtains/screens and have soft, and fresh, comfortable bedspreads and pillows to ensure that you feel comfortable in bed. If you feel comfortable reading in bed, then you may do for some time.
So these are few tips for getting a good night’s sleep.
Waiting for your views and comments.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
14th July 2021
v
Tejinder Singh Sethi
The bottom line
Sleep plays a key role in your health.
One large review linked insufficient sleep to an increased risk of obesity by 89% in children and 55% in adults.
Other studies conclude that getting less than 7–8 hours per night increases your risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
If you’re interested in optimal health and well-being, it’s recommended that you make sleep a top priority and incorporate some of the tips provided by Anil.
R. N. Mungale
Very good information indeed!