13 scientifically proven ways to get enough sleep

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Many of us suffer from sleep disorders: they cannot fall asleep for a long time or wake up with great difficulty. Scientifically proven methods will help get rid of this problem.

1. Determine how much sleep you need

We are all different: according to the chronotype, people are divided into larks, owls and pigeons. The work schedule, as a rule, does not take into account individual biorhythms: traditionally, offices open at 8-9 am. A difficult test for owls, as well as for those who, for some reason, could not fall asleep on time.

The advice is simple: study your body first.

Go to bed as soon as you want. Turn off the alarm and sleep as long as you want.

In order to determine your natural biorhythms and habits, you need a few days off from work. It can be long holidays or at least weekends. In such "free swimming" a person usually sleeps from 7 to 9 hours - this is the time during which the body fully recovers.

Determine what sleep rituals you have. Do you watch TV before you go to bed? Do you wake up at night to drink water or to eat something? You can't change your habits if you don't learn them.

2. Pick your bedtime

Don't try to go to bed as early as possible. This is an undefined goal that is almost impossible to achieve. Instead, plan clearly your "lights out" time depending on what time you need to get up.

Suppose the experiment described in the previous paragraph showed that you need to sleep for 8 hours. And you need to get up at 7:00. Then go to bed at 23:00 or a little earlier.

To get into a routine, try to stick with it on weekends as well. But sometimes, as an exception, allow yourself to sleep before lunch or go to bed later.

3. Stop working in the bedroom

Once you've decided on the amount of time you need to get enough sleep, create your own set of rules to help you relax. This can be dim light, refusal to watch TV an hour before bedtime, and so on.

Keep in mind: work and play should not happen in the same place! This is important for developing good sleep habits. Don't check your email in bed, don't finish an article or a report. Otherwise, you will not be able to fully relax.

The main principle is this: the bed is for sleep and sex.

4. Do not drink alcohol or eat before bed

Everything is simple here: a late dinner is fraught with heartburn, which will definitely not let you sleep peacefully.

As for alcohol, scientists have found that those who use “to relax” before going to bed, a glass or a glass of wine, suffer from sleep disturbances in the second half of the night.

The more time there is between dinner and drinking and bedtime, the better.

5. Turn off gadgets 30 minutes before falling asleep

This is a tip that we all ignore (I want to read an e-book, check social networks, and so on). But in vain.

The light that comes from the smartphone mimics the sun.

It signals the brain to stop producing melatonin. It is an important hormone that regulates circadian rhythm (changes in sleep and wake cycles) and signals when it is time to fall asleep and when to wake up.

Circadian rhythm disruptions not only lead to poor sleep: they are also fraught with vision problems, the development of depression and cancer. So you better put your gadgets aside.

6. Relax for 30-60 minutes

Here are some guidelines from the American National Sleep Foundation.

• Read a book or magazine (not electronic, but paper, and not related to work).
• Write down your thoughts. Experts say keeping a bedtime diary can help manage stress and anxiety.
• Observe rituals that will send a signal that you are getting ready for bed: brush your teeth, wash yourself.
• Try meditation. Research has shown that it promotes psychological well-being.

7. Do not fill up

Experts say that if you wake up early and decide to take a little more nap, getting up on time will be much more difficult. Most likely, you will fall into a deep sleep.

So it's better to take the chance your body has given you and use the early morning for some useful things.

8. Do morning exercises

Exercise combined with sunlight will shut off melatonin production and keep you awake. A new cycle will begin to prepare your body for sleep.

By the way, exercising in the afternoon will also help you fall asleep in the evening, just don't overload yourself too late.

Crossfit after 21:00 is definitely contraindicated - replace it with yoga.

In any case, the load for good sleep must be selected individually.

9. Don't worry about falling asleep

This is easier said than done, of course. There are those who wait for the night with fear, look at the clock, worry that they will not be able to sleep again today. And after the dream really does not come, they experience negative emotions: fear, anxiety, anger. This can lead to chronic insomnia.

In this case, doctors recommend removing watches and other items from the bedroom that remind you of possible insomnia.

Don't think that you don't fall asleep as a disaster. Instead of worrying about a hard day at work, think about how well you will fall asleep the next night. Set yourself up for this.

10. Practice relaxation

Every time you worry about not falling asleep, your body releases stress hormones. As a result, falling asleep really turns into a problem.

To get out of this circle will help progressive relaxation, invented by the American neurologist Edmund Jacobson. These are exercises with alternating relaxation and tension of individual muscle groups.

Proven: This is one of the most effective ways to combat chronic insomnia.

11. Think positively

In many cases, people who think they are suffering from insomnia tend to exaggerate the problem. They think they slept less than they actually did. If you try to switch to the positive, the scale of the disaster will be greatly reduced.

In order to do this, you need to work on yourself: learn to meditate and relax, create favorable conditions for sleep: for example, sleep in a cool, quiet and dark room.

12. If you can't sleep, get up

Don't lie in bed for hours hoping to fall asleep. If you are unable to do this within 20 minutes, get out of bed, do something. But do not turn on your computer, phone, or TV, which could make the problem worse.

Experts believe this rule helps break the vicious circle of negative emotions associated with bed.

13. Don't force yourself to sleep

You don't have to try to fall asleep. Just create all the necessary conditions (turn off the lights, turn on quiet music, open the window, and so on) and relax.

Do not think about whether you will be able to fall asleep or not.

The absence of anxiety and anxious thoughts works magically.