Sleep hygiene is beneficial to physical and mental health, productivity, and overall quality of life. Meanwhile, sleep deprivation can raise the risks of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and early mortality in the long run. That's why it's crucial to understand some signs of poor sleep hygiene and tips to solve them.
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Poor Sleep Hygiene
What Is Sleep Hygiene?
Sleep hygiene is a set of routines and habits necessary for a restful night's sleep and alertness during the day. It refers to a sleeping environment and daily activities that promote consistent and undisturbed sleep.
Signs of Poor Sleep Hygiene
When you don't get enough sleep, your body lacks energy, leading to a variety of negative consequences. Here are some signs of poor sleep hygiene you need to know:
1 Having Trouble Falling Asleep
When you feel tired but can't fall asleep, it may be a warning sign that your circadian rhythm is off. Sleep disruption can be caused by your unhealthy lifestyle, diet, aging, or even medication.
2 Excessive Sleepiness
Do you keep uncontrollable yawning with heavy eyelids and a strong desire to nap during the day? If yes, you may be facing difficulty staying awake or alert, or we can call excessive sleepiness.
3 Fatigue
A study has shown that fatigue or tiredness results from insufficient sleep, prolonged alertness, and being awake at a circadian time when the brain is trained to sleep. Also, this study indicates that sleep deprivation has a variety of negative impacts on cognitive and neurobehavioral processes, leading to other brain-related issues.
4 Mood Swings
Long-term sleep deprivation has been linked to increased negative emotions, including anger, irritation, impatience, and sadness. Poor sleep is a common cause of mood disorders like depression and anxiety.
5 Memory Loss
Adults with poor sleep quality have memories that remain locked in the hippocampus and do not reach the prefrontal cortex. This causes forgetfulness and makes it difficult to remember something.
Sleeping aids in strengthening the memories collected throughout the day. It also supports the connection of fresh memories to previous ones. REM sleep, the most active stage of sleep, appears to connect related memories in unexpected ways.
Sleep Hygiene Tips
Healthy sleeping habits may help you avoid depression, weight gain, memory problems, and other serious long-term consequences. This is a list of numerous sleep hygiene behaviors that you may need to achieve the best night's sleep:
1 Choose a Reasonable Sleep-Wake Routine
Sleep becomes a natural part of your day when you succeed in keeping the body's internal clock on track by following a consistent sleep regimen. As a result, your brain and body eventually adjust to getting the full amount of sleep.
The tip is to set a bedtime and a wake-up time for yourself. Even on weekends or days off, stick to these schedules. Your internal clock might build a new routine if you stick to a regular schedule.
Furthermore, don't try to adjust your sleep schedule all at once, as this may throw your schedule off. Instead, make small and gradual modifications to help you establish a new habit.
2 Don't Try to Fight off Sleepiness
Drowsiness or sleepiness is a sign that it's time to sleep. Many people choose to stay awake and stop listening to their body's natural indications. If you're having difficulties sleeping and think you need more sleep, it's best to settle into bed and let yourself rest.
3 Change Your Diet
Allowing the body to absorb the nutrients it requires will give your brain the chemical environment to manufacture the neurotransmitters which maintain a high-quality sleep. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you wish for productive rest:
- Control your caffeine intake: Caffeine can linger in your bloodstream for up to a few hours after consumption. Thus, several sleep guidelines recommend minimizing coffee intake in the afternoon and evening.
- Consume more of these foods: almond, turkey, kiwi, nighttime milk, fatty fish, nuts, rice
- Limit alcohol consumption: Although alcohol makes you sleepy at first, drinking alcohol regularly and uncontrollably can throw off your sleep cycles.
- Try not to eat right before bedtime: Spicy or fatty foods seem heavy for the stomach to digest. In addition, indigestion before bedtime makes it more difficult for your body to relax and fall asleep.
4 Make changes to your sleeping environment
It's critical to take care of the nighttime noise and light since they can lead to drowsiness, irritability, and poor mental health. To restrict sound exposure, you can reduce appliance noise or turn off alerts. Meanwhile, it would be beneficial to avoid bright lights before going to bed because they can interfere with melatonin, a hormone created to aid sleep.
Moreover, a comfortable mattress, pillows, and linens are essential for a good night's sleep. The last thing you should worry about is the temperature. Your body temperature drops as you sleep. Thus a cool but not freezing environment is ideal.
InstaZen® - Reduce Stress Stabilize Mood
Suppose those tips mentioned above cannot enhance your sleep quality. In that case, you can consider the natural supplement InstaZen® from Regen Labs.
InstaZen® helps calm brain chemistry without benzodiazepines with the most innovative, toxin-free supplements for brain health. Its key ingredients include DHHB, L-Theanine, Ashwagandha, Phosphatidylserine, and Valerian root. These ingredients help produce calming effects, reduce stress, enhance mood, support memory, and promote sleep.
If you struggle with sleep disorders or anxiousness, you can follow instructions from your healthcare practitioner for an appropriate dosage.
It is a lot to think about! We get it. If you have questions about poor sleep hygiene, Regen Labs has options for you. All Regen Labs products support the body's natural systems for a healthy brain, skin, muscle, and sexual health.
Regen Labs products contain research-proven ingredients to boost the body's natural ability to be healthy without toxins or synthetic chemicals.
Let's talk! If you have questions, we would love to connect. Contact us today.
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