Most people only realize the importance of a good night’s sleep once they are up in the morning with puffy eyes and a tired body.
A balanced sleep cycle is essential to your overall physical and mental wellness. It is the first step towards a healthy lifestyle. But not everyone is lucky enough to slip into deep slumber right after they hit their bed. Many people, especially workaholics, find it difficult to sleep between their busy schedules due to many factors such as work routine, health condition, age, and stress levels.
A tired body impairs your productivity, attention span, and problem-solving skills. It is also connected to higher risks of infections and inflammations in adults – especially older adults. Just like our gadgets need time to recharge, the human body needs adequate sleep to replenish and rejuvenate. From tissues to hormones, your sleep cycle affects everything. On average, an adult needs around 8-9 hours of sleep to work efficiently throughout the day.
Unfortunately, this consistent sleep cycle gets disrupted by a number of factors, some of which are caffeine intake, consumption of electronic gadgets, mental disorders, and different medications. Around 70 million US citizens suffer from chronic sleep disorders affecting their professional and personal lives in many ways. Here are five ways to sleep soundly like a baby.
Set A Sleep Schedule
Plan ahead of your day to accommodate your daily tasks and your sleep schedule in a day. You can use a journal to jot down your daily routine or set alarms for specific time intervals to complete tasks on time. Some days can be hectic, but planning ahead allows you to build an adjustable roadmap to spend your day fruitfully. Try your best to sleep at 9 PM. Although making a schedule is easy, sticking to it isn’t easy. But it is always beneficial to take baby steps if you truly want to sleep like a baby.
Take A Break From Screens
Our TVs, tablets, laptops, and cell phone screens can disrupt the sleep cycle as they emit blue light, which stays active during our sleep cycle and disrupts the production of melatonin. This hormone indirectly induces sleep. Being exposed to blue light can block this melatonin production, which, as a result, hampers your good night’s sleep. Therefore, you should avoid using cell phones for at least an hour before going to bed as the impact of the rays remains active even after usage.
Some Exercise Won’t Hurt You
Sleep disorders are common in people with a sedentary lifestyle, as these people do not have ambient muscle movements, and long sitting hours cause deconditioning of a body’s cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, causing fatigue and depressed behavior in individuals. Research shows that aerobic exercise has similar effects on regulating your circadian clock as sleep inducers. You can start with simple aerobic exercises, stretching, or a jog around the park and eventually build up your stamina for more high-intensity workouts.
Meditation Works Wonders
There are times when your mind becomes completely chaotic due to stressful situations at work, school, or in your personal life. Practicing mindfulness and meditation can help you gain control of your thoughts in these mentally exhausting times and maintain your circadian clock. Mediation involves breathing exercises, yoga, or Chakra stimulation exercises, among others.
Sleeping Aids
In chronic sleep disorders and stressful situations, the solutions mentioned above might require further assistance of a sleeping aid, which is a type of sleep support supplement that helps treat chronic sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea.
For people who are trying the tips mentioned above and tricks to regulate their sleep cycle, Restore8 by Hekla Sports Co is just the thing you need. Backed by scientifically proven ingredients, Restore8 is a sleep aid supplement that manages your sleep cycle and helps you rejuvenate your energy levels so you wake up energized to start your day.
