If you can’t sleep for a long time or constantly wake up at night, and the next morning you feel not rested, but broken, then pay attention to these points. By giving up a few daily habits, you can significantly improve the quality of sleep.
Carbohydrates before bedtime
Many people believe that simple carbohydrates cause a state of drowsiness. Therefore, eating them at night, if you can’t sleep, is even useful. In fact, this is not quite true. If you go to bed with a full stomach, you will most likely just get heartburn.
Well, as for the products for healthy sleep (but not right in front of it!), nutritionists recommend foods with a high fiber content — fermented yogurt, fermented foods, fruits and vegetables.
Use gadgets late at night
Blue light from all screens (be it a laptop, tablet, phone or even TV) delays the production of melatonin. Every hour of using such a technique delays the production of melatonin by about three hours. So remember that in addition to tablets, there are ordinary books in the world. And if you are not a fan of reading, you can just meditate a little in the evening or do breathing exercises.
Watch movies in bed
Here, not only blue light will be to blame for insomnia. Any action-packed films or programs can increase the heart rate. And you definitely won’t be able to fall asleep right away.
Forcing yourself to fall asleep
Suppose you can’t sleep. You realize that there is less and less time before the alarm clock, and you start to get nervous. Or even worse, you assume that insomnia is a symptom of some disease. Instead of forcing yourself to fall asleep, try the exact opposite, — somnologists advise. You can go to the kitchen to drink tea, read a book, or just lie down and tell yourself: «I won’t sleep.» Your body will immediately begin to react in the «reverse» way and you will quickly fall asleep.
Train in the evenings
Many people think: «I’ll go to the gym or go for a run before going to bed, I’ll be completely exhausted and I’ll fall asleep quickly because I’m tired.»
But this is a misconception. Exercise increases blood pressure and heart rate. And this is incompatible with a good, sound sleep.
What our body needs when it approaches the stages of sleep is, on the contrary, a decrease in heart rate, lower blood pressure, lower internal body temperature and a generally calm state of mind.
Sleep during the day
If you want to take a nap during the day, do it strictly before 16:00 and no longer than 90 minutes. The fact is that drowsiness reduces the level of ADP (a substance necessary for the body to sleep). Therefore, if you decide to sleep too long during the day or take a nap in the evening, the ADP level will not be able to rise again by night, and you will be awake.
Drinking coffee after lunch
Coffee is invigorating precisely because it blocks the ADP receptors that help us sleep. Scientists say that this action lasts about 8 hours. So count on what time you need to drink the last cup of coffee to fully fall asleep in the evening.
Choose warm cozy clothes for sleeping
To fall asleep well, the body temperature needs to be lowered. Therefore, it is better to sleep in the cool. You can open the window or turn on the air conditioner. If there is no air conditioner, and the heat is blowing out of the window, then there are tips on how to cool the apartment in the heat. A hot shower right before going to bed also helps — when you get out of the shower, the temperature of the case decreases rapidly.
