Sleep is one of the primary elements
for both physical and mental health. Quality sleep of 6 to 8 hours is a must
for all adults. Often times people take it for granted until they realize their
other health issues are related to poor sleep quality. Insomnia/Lack of sleep
can cause domino effect on health if not corrected in early stages.
Don’t fall into that default bucket
of taking pills forever, instead fight to find the root cause. Yes, take a pen
and paper and start writing down list of changes that happened in your life
ever since you stopped sleeping well.
So how to improve your sleep
quality?
FOLLOW A GOOD SLEEP HYGEINE
Make sure you can tick all the below
items to be guaranteed a good sleep.
# No caffeine 5 hours before bedtime.
# No nicotine.
# Exercising at least 3 to 4 days a
week.
# No TV or Phone or any blue screen
1 hour before bedtime. Or at least put your phone in night mode while browsing
before bedtime.
# Don't drink too much water before
bedtime to avoid waking up to use restroom in the night.
# Make a to-do list for next day, so
you don't brood over it while trying to fall asleep.
# No stress/depression-try relaxing
yoga poses in bed to calm down your muscles.
# Stick to disciplined sleep time
and wake up time. Random schedules will disturb your biological cycle and will
confuse your body and mind on the sleep routine.
# Check your vitals and make sure
all your vitamin levels are at par. I would recommend a blood test to check vitamin and mineral deficiency levels.
If you are doing all of the above
and in spite of that you are not getting good sleep, check if there are any
other underlying health issues. In my case I had an internal nasal problem which deprived oxygen that
inhibited from getting a good sleep and I also had severe Magnesium deficiency.
# Can it be Deviated Septum or Enlarged
Turbinate or Turbinate hypertrophy or Sleep Apnea or on-allergic rhinitis or may have narrowed nasal passages.
Check if you can breath well through your nose when lying down.
# Use Neti pot to clean your nose
before bed if you have allergies or sinus. It will help clear you nasal passage
and in turn aid in good sleep.
# Take magnesium supplements and take nuts that are rich in magnesium if you have magnesium deficiency.
I got below notes from another
website so added it here for ease of reference.
Adopting
new habits to help you sleep
- Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Support your biological clock by going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, including weekends.
- Avoid naps. Napping during the day can make it more difficult to sleep at night. If you feel like you have to take a nap, limit it to 30 minutes before 3 p.m.
- Limit caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Stop drinking caffeinated beverages at least eight hours before bed. While alcohol can make you feel sleepy, it interferes with the quality of your sleep, and nicotine is a stimulant.
- Avoid late meals. Try to avoid heavy, rich foods within two hours of bed. Fatty foods can take a lot of work for your stomach to digest and spicy or acidic foods can cause heartburn.
- Get regular exercise. Regular exercise can improve the symptoms of insomnia, but it’s not a quick fix. It takes several months to feel the full effects. Aim for 30 minutes or more of activity on most days—but not too close to bedtime.
- Take plant-based multivitamin
- Eat 1.5 oz Organic Almonds everyday
Develop
a better bedtime routine
It’s not just what you do during the
day that affects the quality of your sleep, but also those things you do to
prepare your mind and body for sleep.
- Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, and cool. Noise, light, and heat can interfere with sleep. Try using a sound machine or earplugs to hide outside noise, an open window or fan to keep the room cool, and blackout curtains or a sleep mask to block out light.
- Avoid stimulating activity and stressful situations before bedtime. This includes vigorous exercise, big discussions or arguments, or catching up on work. Instead, focus on quiet, soothing activities, such as reading, knitting, or listening to soft music, while keeping lights low.
- Turn off screens one hour before bedtime. The light emitted from TV, tablets, smartphones, and computers suppresses your body’s production of melatonin and can severely disrupt your sleep. Instead of emailing, texting, watching TV, or playing video games, try listening to a book on tape, a podcast, or reading by a soft light.
Learn
to associate your bed with sleeping, not sleeplessness
- Use the bedroom only for sleeping. Don’t work, read, watch TV, or use your computer in bed or the bedroom. The goal is to associate the bedroom with sleep alone, so that your brain and body get a strong signal that it’s time to nod off when you get in bed.
- Get out of bed when you can’t sleep. Don’t try to force yourself to sleep. Tossing and turning only amps up the anxiety. Get up, leave the bedroom, and do something relaxing, such as reading, drinking a warm cup of caffeine-free tea, taking a bath, or listening to soothing music. When you’re sleepy, go back to bed.
- Move bedroom clocks out of view. Anxiously watching the minutes tick by when you can’t sleep—knowing that you’re going to be exhausted when the alarm goes off—is a surefire recipe for insomnia. You can use an alarm, but make sure you can’t see the time when you’re in bed.
Challenging self-defeating thoughts that fuel insomnia
Self-defeating thought
|
Sleep-promoting
comeback
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Unrealistic expectations: I should be able to sleep well every night like a normal
person.
|
Lots of people struggle with sleep
from time to time. I will be able to sleep with practice.
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Exaggeration: It’s the same every single night, another night of
sleepless misery.
|
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Catastrophizing: If I don’t get some sleep, I’ll tank my presentation and
jeopardize my job.
|
I can get through the presentation
even if I’m tired. I can still rest and relax tonight, even if I can’t sleep.
|
Hopelessness: I’m never going to be able to sleep well. It’s out of my
control.
Sleep tight and stay healthy!
|
|
Sleep
tight and stay healthy!
