Hajra Naz
Although researchers have learned a lot about sleep in the past 50 years, it is relatively a new field of study. Studies have shown that a lack of consistent and restful sleep is associated with attention deficits, memory problems, mood disturbances, and impaired mental performance. It makes so much impact on our lives that a chronic sleep loss of 2-4 hours per day for two weeks is found to degrade the performance to the same extent as 24-48 hours of complete sleep deprivation.
A night of good sleep is important and having healthy sleep habits can make a big difference in the quality of our life. Our concentration, mood, and mental and physical performance get improved with restful sleep. In any circumstances, sleep can be improved by following these strategies:
In order to log sounder sleep, doctors recommend putting a moratorium on screen time before going to bed.
This rule involves not looking at the digital devices 30 minutes before sleeping and till the next morning. Along with digital devices, TV screens should also be avoided in order to bring your mind into sleep mode.
Setting the mood:
Nothing best sets the mood for sleep than reading. Reading should be made a part of the sleeping routine as it helps to relax the mind. It helps to shut down unnecessary working stations of our minds by focusing on the book we are reading. When everything starts to shut down eventually it leads us to a good night’s sleep.
Use white noise:
Settling down for sleep is mostly hard especially if anyone is a light sleeper. The white noise machine is the best solution for this problem. It helps to easily get disconnected from the surrounding noises so that we can easily drift off to sleep.
Get thoughts out by writing:
There are some days when it is extremely hard to separate ourselves from the powerful thoughts in our minds. For this purpose, writing thoughts out on paper is the best way to get rid of them. Always keep a notepad by the bed and getting them out of your head will help you to rest easier.
Being consistent:
Once we get off our sleeping schedule, it disrupts the entire routine. Therefore, stick to the sleeping patterns that have been set for once and follow them as much as possible. Even if we have to sleep late due to some issues, it is always best to wake up at the usual hours. The loss of sleep can be covered up by taking power naps in the afternoon.
Get out of bed:
Even if all fails and it is hard to sleep, it is better to get out of bed even if it is in the middle of the night. Start reading a book until your eyes start feeling heavy. This trick works like a charm and it makes you sleep much faster.
