How to improve sleep: 9 habits that will really help

The material from the Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, transmitted by UNN, discusses how to improve the process of falling asleep and get a full night's rest.

Details

Yuriy Flomin, an expert from the World Health Organization Bureau in Ukraine and a neurologist, explained how to fall asleep more easily, not wake up at night, and feel refreshed in the morning.

The specialist noted 9 main tips related to a person's daily habits.

1. It is important to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. "Go to bed and wake up at the same time — even on weekends," the material emphasizes. Especially if you have trouble sleeping. "Many people think that they can 'catch up on sleep' on weekends, but this often disrupts the natural sleep rhythm," the specialist points out.
2. Alcohol is not a sleeping pill; it disrupts the cyclical sequence of sleep stages. "Alcohol has a short-term hypnotic effect. But. The body quickly breaks down ethanol, and when its level in the blood decreases, a person wakes up." Usually, after consuming alcohol, people sleep for only 2–4 hours, after which it becomes difficult to fall asleep again. Frequent alcohol consumption causes addiction and has many other negative health consequences. It is better to completely abstain from alcohol if you have significant sleep problems.
3. Limit caffeine and nicotine before bed. "The half-life of caffeine is approximately 5 hours on average — this means that even after this time, half of the substance will remain in the body, which can affect sleep. Therefore, people sensitive to caffeine should refrain from drinking coffee for 5 hours before bed or even longer." Nicotine, like caffeine, is a stimulant of the nervous system. Its use (smoking or using other nicotine products) before bed significantly impairs the quality of night rest. It is necessary to completely eliminate nicotine at least 90 minutes before going to bed. However, it is worth remembering: nicotine is harmful to health regardless of the time of day, so you should completely give it up.
4. Only go to bed if you intend to sleep.

People with chronic insomnia are not recommended to lie in bed if they do not plan to fall asleep. The idea is simple: the bed where you sleep at night should only be associated with sleep. This forms a conditioned reflex — when you lie down on it, the brain receives the signal "time to sleep."

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Among the neurologist's other 5 tips for healthy sleep:

• spend a few hours in daylight;

For melatonin to be produced at night, the brain must receive a sufficient amount of light stimuli through the retina during the day. That is, a person must spend at least an hour, or preferably 2–3 hours a day, in bright light — outdoors or near a window. This is especially necessary for people who sleep poorly.

• engage in physical activity, but not before bed;

Sometimes it seems strange that even when you are very tired, it is difficult to fall asleep. This happens when a person is overwhelmed with emotions or feels pain. On the other hand, real physical fatigue helps you fall asleep faster. My patients who have sleep problems, after rehabilitation sessions and a gradual increase in physical activity, fall asleep much faster. The main thing is not to exercise directly before bed.

• don't sleep long during the day.

If you didn't get enough sleep at night, it's natural to want to catch up during the day. However, prolonged daytime "catching up" (2–5 hours) leads to sleep disturbances the next night. As a result, a vicious circle arises: poor night sleep leads to daytime sleep, and it — to even worse night sleep, and day seems to change places with night. Therefore, it is better to avoid long daytime sleep. If night sleep was short, stay awake until evening and go to bed a little earlier — for example, at 7:30–8:00 PM. This way you will restore night sleep without interrupting it with daytime "catching up."

The neurologist also advises making the room where you sleep cool, quiet, and dark. Use blackout curtains or blinds so that light from the street, for example from streetlights, does not interfere with sleep. If possible, ensure the quietest possible environment in the bedroom.

And it is also worth coming up with your own evening ritual that will help you prepare for sleep.

• take a warm shower before bed;
• drink a cup of herbal tea or milk;
• listen to calm music;
• read a book or take a 15-minute walk in the fresh air.

Everyone should find what helps them and practice it regularly, - summarizes the specialist.

Recall

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