8 weeks for better sleep

Last year we lost sleep. I worked odd hours, worried about the future, got sick, and worried about financial safety. The time saved on commuting and going out at night did not always improve the balance between work and personal life. Instead, confinement and anxiety turned many of us into late nights.

Insomnia is by no means good news. It’s an early subject, but sleep studies, without the right amount of zzz (which varies from us to us), slows reaction times, shortens attention, is scattered, and has serious health problems such as cardiovascular disease. It shows that there is an increased risk of illness, diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease. It is not only social distance that is becoming the new norm, but also fatigue due to lack of sleep.

Despite the study examining sleep as the latest victim of pandemics (a recent review of the Covid-19 sleep study by more than 50,000 Norsanbria universities from 13 countries, about 40% experienced sleep disorders. Studies have been investigated whether it is melatonin or not, hormones that regulate the sleep and wake cycle may play a role in the fight against Covid-19 (preliminary research, Published in PLOS Biology, a peer-reviewed scientific journal). The key is sleep.

So why not pay attention to the night rather than the day this year? Not only does it help you get up to the right side of the bed, but it also has additional benefits like better cognitive and memory integration. Dr. Abhinav Singh, Medical Director of the Indiana Sleep Center in the United States, has been practicing sleep medicine for 15 years and provides a two-month step-by-step guide for better sleep.

Week 1: Turn off (nightlight)

The light bulb announced the death of sleep

Thomas Edison patented the light bulb in 1879. I can’t blame him for today’s light pollution, but “light is rapidly invading our night,” says Dr. Singh. Physiologically, our body is not designed to feel light at night because it disturbs the body’s natural sleep and wake cycle, the circadian rhythm. “When the sun goes down, it’s a signal that melatonin hormones rise cyclically. When exposed to bright artificial light, melatonin is suppressed,” he says.

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* Please do not wear sunglasses in the morning. Sun exposure between 9 am and 12 pm optimizes your awakening and sleep cycle.

* Use motion sensors at the floor level instead of nightlights.

* Before you go to bed, stare into the dark sky to help your students expand and melatonin kick in.

Week 2: Screen becomes dull

What is junk food? For nutrition, the screen is sleeping

Blue light (now recurrent nausea) affects arousal and drowsiness and suppresses sleep rhythms. “If you need to expose yourself to light, yellow is a bit better than a tube light [white light has a higher spectrum of blue light]”Dr. Shin says. Also, for screen time, it uses a built-in filter to block the blue spectrum.

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* Set the device to night mode at 7 pm to hide the screen from 9:30 pm to bedtime.

Week 3: “Fourplay” to perform sleep

Look at babies who can sleep anywhere

We were born with an essential knowledge of how to eat and sleep, but “as we get older, we fight the sensation of sleep with alternative caffeine and access to screens.” Dr. Singh proposes to follow zeitgebers (natural clues that help circadian rhythms) such as “the first rays of the sun.” [being a] A signal to the brain that it’s time to wake up. “

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* The last meal ends about 3 hours before the sun sets or goes to bed. Avoid heavy meals, caffeine, alcohol, or stimulating activities that activate your brain in the evening.

* It is possible to put your body into sleep mode. One hour before bedtime, take a warm shower to dilate blood vessels. This causes the skin to lose heat, causing the core (head, neck, chest, abdomen) to cool and signal the body to release melatonin.

* Keep a diary, read a book, listen to audiobooks, meditate, and breathe slowly for 15 minutes each.

Week 4: Give anxiety a chair

Studies show that people who lack sleep perform worse at work that involves arousal and cognition than those who are drunk with alcohol.

Stressful episodes during the day release the body the stress hormone cortisol that awakens us. “Because it chops your sleep [the hours in bed] It’s by no means good quality, “says Dr. Shin. Higher cortisol levels also lead to destructive dreams during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.

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* Aerobic exercise, meditation, and listening to soft music all lower cortisol levels.

* Schedule worries to offload your brain. Dedicate time — 15 or 20 minutes — to it to write down your worries. You can also specify the space and chair, so take the time to check before proceeding.

Week 5: Take Exercise Super Drugs

It lowers everything from diabetes to anxiety

Exercise — “Heart rate is 120 beats per minute or more, about 30 minutes, 5 times a week” — is an antidepressant, cholesterol lowering, antihypertensive, anxiety, antidepressant, appetite regulator, and sleep promoter. .. When it comes to mental exercise, it’s okay to do crossword puzzles and sudoku near bedtime, “unless you’re fighting to win.” I also like the gentle hobbies of playing the piano and relaxing while taking a walk. Similarly, intimacy is the sleeping window.

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* End your exercise before 6 pm (before sunset) as cortisol levels rise.

* Even if you have a bad night’s rest, you’re using it as a zeitgeber, so it’s best to reduce your intensity and do some form of exercise.

Week 6: Adjust the environmental temperature

The body warms during the day and cools at night to encourage sleep

Body temperature begins to drop a few hours before bedtime, reaches a low point around 4 am (the deepest part of sleep), and then begins to rise. During the cool-down phase, the body sends its warmth to the limbs (arms and legs). As a result, your feet can be warm at night and cold during the day in winter.

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* Cold rooms absorb body heat and promote sleep. Sleep promotion temperatures range from 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. “The idea is to feel as cold as you want sheets and a light blanket,” says Dr. Shin.

Week 7: Skip the wine and relax with water

It takes 6 hours for the coffee to break down in half, so even a strong cup at 8am will show half on the system at 2pm and a quarter at 8pm.

It is important to continue hydration throughout the day, as dehydration (headache, dry mouth) can wake up at night. Heaters, some medications (such as allergies and blood pressure), and breathing through the mouth can also cause thirst. Night snoring and bladder conditions (like menopausal women) can also offend you. Check with your doctor if this happens on a regular basis.

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* After 7 pm, gradually reduce your drinking water so as not to interrupt your sleep. Late in the evening, green tea and herbal teas are more effective than coffee.

* Alcohol is a sedative that causes snoring and helps in the first few hours of sleep (which acts in the same place as barium in the brain), but it interferes with sleep in the second half. If you’re drinking, a good gap is 3-4 hours before bedtime, with a few small drinks or less.

Week 8: Breathe and kill cortisol

Yoga and pranayama activate the body’s parasympathetic nerves (rest system)

A good 5 hour sleep block is better than an 8 hour broken sleep. Created by German researcher Till Roennenberg in 2006, social jet lag is the concept of not getting enough sleep on weekdays and trying to catch up on weekends. “Sleep loss is sleep loss. You can’t drive on the freeway five days a week, on the sixth and seventh days of the road with potholes,” says Dr. Singh. This is because the damage has already occurred.

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* Pranayama As it trains the lungs, it builds the lungs so that the athlete builds specific muscles. Studies have not clearly established its benefits, but it helps reduce anxiety.

* If you have a bad night’s rest, aim to go to bed the next day at the same time as usual.

* If desired, a short afternoon nap (less than 40 minutes) is acceptable.