16 habits to make it easier for you to wake up in the morning

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

Scientists tell you how to adjust the settings of your internal clock to get enough sleep and feel refreshed.

1. Turn off electronic devices two hours before bed

“In the two hours before falling asleep, the brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus sends a signal to the pineal gland to start producing melatonin,” says Michael Terman, professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University. "This hormone helps control sleep-wake cycles." And the bright light from the screens reduces the level of melatonin in the body by about 22%.

2. Reduce exposure to blue light

If you still need to use a computer in the evening, install a program that will change the color temperature of the display to warmer shades. One of these, f.lux, takes into account sunrise and sunset times in your time zone and latitude. Or just dim the screen by 50%. Scientists believe that this amount of blue light will not interfere with sleep.

It is also worth changing the light bulbs in the apartment for those whose heat according to the color temperature scale is in the region of 2,700-3,000 K. Choose incandescent or LED lamps with warm white light.

3. Close the curtains tightly at night

And immediately after waking up, open them. Ideally, you should go from complete darkness to bright light. “Your hormone levels will spike and you'll wake up faster,” says Christopher Winter, chief physician at the Martha Jefferson Sleep Medicine Center.

4. Stay in the light after waking up

This will convince the internal clock that it is time for the body to start awake. Go outside for a few minutes. And in the cold season, when it's still dark in the morning, get a light therapy lamp. According to Terman, the effect of short exposure to bright light immediately after waking up improves falling asleep the next night.

5. Take a bath before bed

Before falling asleep, the body temperature naturally decreases. If you specifically increase the temperature difference (hot in the bathroom and cool after it), it will be easier for you to fall asleep. So soak in hot water for at least 15 minutes, then put on your light pajamas and lie down.

6. Sleep in a cool temperature

At a lower body temperature, sleep is deeper. According to the American National Sleep Foundation, the optimal air temperature for sleep is 16-19 ℃. If the room is very hot and you don't want to sleep with the window open, buy cooling bedding.

7. Wear socks at night

During sleep, the body temperature drops. Help your body to speed up this process, and, accordingly, and falling asleep by wearing socks at night. If the legs are warm, the body will try to cool them by expanding the vessels and directing blood to the limbs. As a result, the core body temperature will drop faster.

8. Warm up after waking up

By the morning, the body temperature rises - this prepares us for wakefulness. Help your body with a few simple exercises. And if you sleep with an air conditioner in the summer, set it up so that it turns off just before the alarm.

9. Do sports at the same time

Physical activity generally helps you sleep better. And if you regularly exercise at the same time, your internal clock gets used to using it as a signal to tell you how long after you fall asleep.

10. Exercise a few hours before bed

Avoid doing intense activities right before bed. Heart palpitations, fever and adrenaline levels will make it harder for you to fall asleep. Try to keep a few hours between workout and sleep.

11. Increase the intensity of your workouts

According to a survey conducted by the US National Sleep Foundation, people sleep better on days of intense exercise. It is believed that during them, two types of cytokines are released in the muscles, which cause drowsiness.

12. Have breakfast right after waking up

Day and night cycles switch depending on when we eat. Plus, having breakfast right after waking up will boost your metabolism.

13. Eat at the same time every day

This is the same as with training: the body remembers how much time must elapse between eating and sleeping. It doesn't matter exactly what time you eat. The main thing is to adhere to the same routine every day.

14. Don't eat heavy dinner

Eating too much before bed will cause your body temperature to rise and prevent you from falling asleep. You can have something to eat, but do not overeat.

15. Talk to your doctor about taking melatonin

It comes in pill form. They regulate the level of the hormone melatonin in the body, but they cannot be taken constantly. Use them if your circadian rhythms are out of order, such as after changing time zones. But before taking it, be sure to check with your doctor.

16. Snack on carbohydrate-rich foods in the evening

According to the researchers, snacking like this helps to adjust the body's internal clock. The fact is that carbohydrates provoke the production of insulin, which affects the PER2 gene, which regulates sleep. That is, after eating carbohydrate foods, you will feel sleepy.

Eat cereal with milk. This combination contains both carbohydrates and tryptophan, from which serotonin and melatonin are synthesized in the body. Or cherries: they also contain carbohydrates and melatonin.