Sleep hygiene: ways to train your brain for better sleep

[WilsonFitbit]

Hi everyone! 

I hope you're doing great! 😎

Do you know that sleep problems constitute a global epidemic that threatens health and quality of life for up to 45% of the world's population? 

Sleep is one the three key ingredients to a healthier, longer life (the others are diet and exercise). Many of the ways to increase the quality of your sleep are easy to do.

Here are some top ways to improve your sleep hygiene and get some 😴: 

Develop a routine: 

Set up a bedtime ritual by taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book or listening to soothing music. Or you can try deep breathing, yoga, meditation or light stretches.

Skip the booze: 

Your body needs to experience all three stages of sleep — light sleep, the REM or dream state, and deep sleep — to fully repair and restore itself. Please don’t turn to alcohol to calm your nerves or help you sleep. Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it traps you in the lighter stages of sleep.

Avoid heavy or spicy foods: 

Heavy and spicy foods may give you heartburn or other digestive issues, thus affecting your ability to get and stay asleep. As for sugar, studies show it’s linked to restless, disturbed sleep and may possibly affect hormones that control cravings.

A light snack before bed “is acceptable,” according to the National Sleep Foundation. It recommends munching on a handful of nuts; a few cherries (which are high in melatonin); a banana (which contains muscle relaxers potassium and magnesium) and decaffeinated teas such as chamomile, ginger and peppermint.

Dampen sound: 

While you’re dealing with the blue light from your smartphone, go ahead and turn off any work alerts (no Slack or email pings at 2 a.m.).

Better still, just charge the thing outside your bedroom.

If you live in a noisy, urban setting, playing white noise or running a fan in the bedroom might help drown out any sudden noises that may startle you from your slumber.

I wonder if anyone has experience any inconveniences to sleep after eating a heavy or spicy foods? 🤔

If you have any additional comments or inputs, please feel free to share them in this thread. I'll be so excited to read them! 😊

I'll be around.

[YojanaFitbit]

Wow, great information @WilsonFitbit. I didn't know that sleep problems constitute a global epidemic that threatens health. 😑 But it make sense, since when I don't sleep well I usually have a terrible next day.

Thanks for sharing this.

[WilsonFitbit]

Hi @YojanaFitbit. It's always a pleasure! 😁

The same happens to me. When I don't sleep well, I feel tired, out of sorts 😶

See you around. 

[TiffanyBecker]

thanks for info) something was new for me

[alexthecat]

Someone told me about "sleep procrastination". That's when people who have a lot of stress and not much free time during the day stay up later than they should at night. This is because they want to have some time for themselves. I realized that I have done that for years, but I never knew there was a name for it. Now that I understand why I can never seem to get to bed as early as I should, this is something that I am trying to overcome.

[WilsonFitbit]

@TiffanyBecker It's a pleasure! 

@alexthecat Interesting! 😮 I found that a way to fight revenge bedtime procrastination is to begin your nightly routine early. Set an alarm for an hour before you would normally begin getting ready for bed. Giving yourself this extra time to wind down from the day may help you feel more sleepy, which may help you resist the urge to stay up late.

See you around.