World Sleep Day: 5 Habits to Promote Healthy Sleep

Posted On: 2023-03-17 10:06:49

In today’s world of hustle and bustle, Sleep is most often neglected by everyone. Sleep Deprivation can have harmful effects like heart disease,  kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. It can also cause strain in your professional life, sleep-deprived individuals often have a low attention span, low focus and trouble learning things. That’s why it is a shame that most people aren’t giving sleep due importance. 

 

To combat sleep deprivation and raise awareness about it, The World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society has been annually celebrating World Sleep Day on the Friday before the March Equinox. March Equinox is happening on the 21st of March, which means that World Sleep Day falls on the 17th. 

 

We get that most people want to give time for a good ole-good night's rest. There are many factors that prevent one from doing so.  We are here to help you with that. So, here are five things you can do to get a fulfilling and healthy sleep:

 

1. Be Mindful of your meals

 

 

Meals have been found to be one of the most important factors that contribute to good sleep. Often food rich in carbohydrates like milk, cheese, cereals, bread etc are great choices to have before bedtime. One must also make sure that they don’t overindulge and avoid getting full. Foods rich in caffeine should be avoided, as it increases your energy. It is also recommended to avoid drinking water, as you would have to take constant bathroom breaks. A person should also avoid drinking alcohol before sleep. While it does help to fall asleep faster, it would mostly be a disturbed sleep.

 

2. Physical Activity increases the quality of sleep

 

According to numerous studies, certain types of regular exercise can increase our quality of sleep. Moderate Exercise can greatly increase our sleep hours. Interestingly enough, vigorous or high-intensity exercise can reduce our quality of sleep. 

 

3. Reduce Screen Time Before Sleep

 

In today’s digital world, the cell phone has become an unavoidable part of our lives. But it has also harmed our sleep cycles. Experts suggest that one must avoid all screens for at least an hour before sleep. If it is an absolute necessity, then reduce the brightness of your screen. 

 

4. Try Reading a Book before bedtime

 

 

 

This is a natural extension to our previous entry, as you might wonder how to pass the last few hours before going to bed. You can try reading a book instead of staring at the screen. According to the National Library of Medicine (USA), 42% of people, who read a book sleep, experienced better quality of sleep as compared to 28% of people who did not. As reading helps you to shift your consciousness to another reality, it is a great way to relax and calm your mind. In turn, promoting good sleep.

 

5. Give Meditation a chance

 

Speaking of relaxation, meditating before sleeping might greatly boost your hours in bed. According to Jama Internal Medicine, researchers showed that meditation helped many people with moderate sleep issues.  As most of us are riddled with stress and anxiety, meditation can be extremely helpful when it comes to having good quality sleep.

 

We hope that our tips help you to get a better quality of sleep. How do you make sure that you get good sleep? Let us know by commenting down below. 

 

AUTHOR: ADIL SAYYAD