Why Quality Sleep Matters: Tips to Improve Sleep & Boost Your Health
It can sound like a stereotype but it’s vital that we get a minimum of 8h sleep every night so we allow the body and the brain to repair themselves and keep our immune system in tip top condition. It is specially important now that our bodies can be exposed to this new coronavirus.
It’s also important when we sleep those hours. It’s not the same sleeping from 10pm to 6am than from 1am to 9am. Our bodies have an internal circadian rhythm (body clock) that is driven by the light of the sun. At sunset (around 6pm) the body starts releasing naturally melatonin, a neurotransmitter that indicates the body that is time to go to sleep. Roughly from 10pm to 2am our body goes through an internal physical repair and from 2am to 6am (sunrise) we go through a psychological repair process.
So if we go to bed late, we are basically cutting off time for the body to repair physically and this can put us at risk of many diseases and issues.
Also it’s not only about the number of hours you sleep but also the quality of the sleep. There are many factors that affect the quality of sleep and below I have a list of suggestions to get a better quality of sleep.
Avoid bright lights for 2 hours before bed if possible. That includes fluorescent lights, screens, etc… If not possible, try to dim your lights or use blue light blocker glasses at night
Avoid stimulants such as caffeine after 3pm
Avoid alcohol near bed time - it actually stresses the body releasing cortisol, which is a hormone that puts your body on “fight or flight” mode
Clear all sources of Electromagnetic pollution such as:
Electric blankets
Electrical appliances close to your bed such as mobile devices, tablets, watches - just use an old school alarm clock and have your devices charging outside the bedroom
Control the noise in the bedroom
Try to have the bedroom in complete darkness
Don’t exercise too close to bedtime - exercise is another stressor for the body that releases cortisol
I strongly recommend you to read the book “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker. The Health & Wellness Site Council has purchased a copy of this book and can be found in the library in level 26. If you don’t have time to read it or you want to have a little teaser before reading it, you can listen to Matthew Walker himself in this TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM&t=21s
I promise after listening to this guy, you will at least change some of your habits.