To improve the quality of sleep you need to change routines and develop habits. The goal is to regulate the sleep cycle and the biological clock, allowing the person to sleep better. Here’s how to improve sleep quality and fight insomnia by following some tips, known as sleep hygiene:
Not oversleeping
Get only the time needed to rest, avoiding staying in bed any longer, when you feel like you’ve had enough sleep. A visit to medicaldaily.com makes things perfect.
Wake up at the same time
Always try to wake up at the same time and make it a routine even if you slept poorly at night as this will help regulate the sleep cycle.
Avoid naps
Avoid napping during the day while insomnia or restless sleep. When you start sleeping better, it’s okay to take a nap.
Exercise
Practice physical activity regularly, but it is important that the exercise is done 4 hours or more before bedtime. Otherwise, the adrenaline released during physical activity can make sleep difficult and worsen, or even cause insomnia.
Sleep in a dark place
Try to sleep in quiet, dark places because the hormone that controls sleep and wake cycles, melatonin, is produced in the absence of light. Therefore, it is recommended that the place where you go to sleep should have the lights off and the window closed.
Avoid Caffeine
Avoid stimulating drinks such as coffee, black tea, mate tea and soda after 6 pm because it contains caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant. Although coffee consumption, for example, is made during the day, it should be moderate. Too much can impair sleep as caffeine stays in the body for several hours. For better sleep quality, it is recommended to drink a maximum of 3 cups of coffee per day.
Avoid alcohol and cigarettes
Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol before going to bed. Cigarette has nicotine, a central nervous system stimulant. Alcohol can even help you sleep, but most of the time sleep is poor quality, usually results in light sleep and this can interfere with the sleep cycle.
In order not to disturb sleep, it is recommended that the daily dose of alcohol is only once per day, avoiding drinking if less than 3 hours to go to sleep.
Eat before bed
Do not sleep hungry. Having a light snack before going to bed can help you sleep better. However, it should be remembered that evening meals should be low in fat and low in calories, to prevent an increase in metabolism and allow the body to rest without having to start a whole digestion process.
Avoid using electronic devices before bed
Avoid standing in front of your computer, tablet, cell phone or television before going to sleep, as the light from these devices is stimulating and can make sleep difficult.
Getting out of bed if you can’t sleep
If you go to bed and can’t sleep in 20 minutes, get up. Read something and try again after a few minutes. If you can’t fall asleep, stay in bed for 20 minutes, but don’t try hard to sleep. If you can fall asleep, fine, but the goal here is to go back to bed without having to sleep, and not stay in bed counting the hours you can’t rest.