Tips for better sleep efficiency are simple. There are no-brainer and new inventions. People of all ages must sleep for at least 7-9 hours. During sleep, the whole body rests and rejuvenates. A good night’s rest depends on a few factors.
Turn off the electricity
You know that keeping the phone close to your head can affect the brain. It can interrupt sleep and harm health. There are cases associated with tumors after continually holding phones by the side.
Electricity can affect sleep because the electromagnetic field is unnatural for the body.
Besides, the blue light from devices interrupts the production of melatonin, the sleeping hormone. This hormone promotes sleep.
You can read a book before sleep. It will relax you and prepare you for the night’s sleep.
Have the last meal at six p.m.
People can have heartburn after full meals late at night. The whole stomach does not let easily catch sleep. Skipping alcohol and food with caffeine will allow you to sleep easier. A full stomach feels heavy and does not allow you to rest. Besides, you can gain more calories, especially if you do not burn them during the day.
It is advisable to eat more food with fiber and without saturated fats during the day. Thanks to threads, the body can digest meals easier and benefit from proper digestion and elimination.
Walking
Walking is an accessible and affordable exercise for everybody at any age. You can pick a pace and walk as much as you want. Starting from short distances and adapting to longer walks will let your body produce sleep hormones for a night.
Besides, it exercises to strengthen the heart and vascular system. Studies show that people who walk at least half-hour four times a week have better sleep than those who stay at home.
Prepare yourself for sleep
It is advisable to dim lights at least half an hour before sleep and turn off electric devices. The bedroom is for rest. Any light is not desirable. The darkness must come real that you cannot see your hand. If you cannot reach this level, you can use a sleep mask.
Some people use light music to set a sleepy mood. Some apps on a phone can play light sounds that turn you into sleeping mode.
A white noise machine can help you, too, if you cannot quickly dive into the sleeping kingdom.
Thinking about daytime nap
Some people like to have daytime sleep. One hour is excellent, but if you have problems sleeping comfortably at night, you can skip it and see how it works.
Sleep medicine
According to Consumer Reports, there is no significant effect on sleep when people use drugs. Besides, there are side effects. People who use over-the-counter sleeping aids such as Benadryl Allergy, Sominex, and generic have been linked to dementia and worsened cognitive ability.
For example, some specific prescription pills can double the risks of falls and hip fractures in older adults.
Sleep aids are useful and helpful for people who travel and cross more than six time zones and want to sleep on planes.
Consumer Reports emphasize the importance of avoiding prescription benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam( Xanax or generic). They have links to more than double the risk of falls, car accidents, or hip fractures in older adults.
Natural aids for sleep
One of the strong and without side effects of natural sleep aids is Insomnitol
Timothy Ferriss prefers teas. The Yogi Soothing Caramel Bedtime tea made miracles for him. California poppy extract works too.
What to do if nothing does work?
Seeing a knowledgeable health practitioner could be the right decision. The doctor can recommend cognitive behavioral therapy ( CBT-I). This therapy is oriented to the change in sleeping habits.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends CBT-I oversleep drugs. It can work as a treatment for chronic insomnia.
Besides it, there is an online option for those who do not have a sleep center close to them. The online program is SHUTi( myshuti.com). The study published in JAMA Psychiatry shows that people saw improvements after nine weeks, and they’re sleeping fine a year later.
Do you have any experience with how to improve sleep?