Not getting quality sleep can have a negative effect on your mood, energy and concentration. To function properly during the whole day, an undisturbed sleep is a must. Many people even after sleeping for seven to eight hours reported that their sleep was just fair or poor. So we asked certain doctors what should a person do and not do before sleeping. Here’s what they said:
- Use the bed for what it is made: don’t work or just lie down on your bed. Get into your bed only when it is the time to sleep. Even after you wake up, don’t lie in your bed, get up and do something.
- Don’t exercise: exercising releases adrenaline which gives to more energy and concentration. “Exercise in the morning or during the daytime can go a long way to helping improve insomnia symptoms at night, but exercise late in the day can be counterproductive. Many people try to exercise at night with the goal of ‘wearing themselves out,’ but are inadvertently making it harder for themselves to fall asleep.” ― Stacey Gunn, sleep medicine physician at the Insomnia and Sleep Institute of Arizona.
- Alcohol and Caffeine: “Avoid drinking any caffeinated drinks past 2 p.m. Caffeinated drinks —including coffee, soda, iced tea, pre-work out drinks or energy drinks — act as a stimulant. Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors — and adenosine [plays a role in] sleep homeostasis.” — Anupama Ramalingham, sleep medicine physician at the Insomnia and Sleep Institute of Arizona.
“Some people end up self-medicating with a nightcap, because it does help them to fall asleep more easily at the beginning of the night. But I recommend against it because it causes the sleep architecture to be disrupted later on, resulting in poor quality sleep. If I do have a drink in the evening, I try to separate it from bedtime, and give the alcohol a chance to clear out of my system before going to sleep.” ― Gunn
Though these tips are very basic, but they do work. Other things that you can try are, not using your phone in bed or any other electronic device. The lights in your room or around should not be very bright.
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