Are you having a difficult time trying to follow your set bedtime schedule? Do you want to have an effective sleeping pattern that will have the right amount of sleep at night?
Most people, primarily college students and working professionals, have troubles in getting the right amount of sleep every night because of deadlines and finishing workloads. You may be one of them.
Here are five ways to help you gain the amount of sleep that your body deserves.
Pick A Bedtime Schedule
Know your schedule and choose a particular time of the night that can be your regular bedtime. You can start planning it by identifying what time you usually wake up. Then, set the alarm with the time when you most likely go to bed.
Do not forget to set it back for your morning alarm. When you successfully wake up after three days of following your bedtime alarm, then you can officially set it as your chosen sleeping time.
It is important to set a sleeping schedule that you can follow on a constant basis. According to research, keeping regular sleep schedule helps in maintaining the timing of the person’s internal body clock.
It also helps the person fall asleep quickly and wake up easily. Your circadian rhythm operates at its fullest when you have regulated a sleeping pattern and that you always stick to it.
Avoid Sleeping In
Whether you intentionally continued sleeping in your comfy bed which you just bought beds online, or you accidentally woke up later than your usual waking time, it would be best if you can help not sleeping in.
Stop hitting your phone’s snooze button after an alarm. According to studies, the short bursts of sleep between alarms are not as restful compared to NREM sleep. Aside from it causing disruption to your circadian rhythm, it can also cause further confusion to your body.
Moreover, not waking up at your usual time in the morning will leave you feeling a bit lazier and exhausted even without doing anything and just spending your time lying on your bed.
Spend Time Under the Sun
Exposing yourself to sunlight during the right time in the morning is the best way to adjust to a new or different timezone.
According to the National Institutes of Health, one of the things that will give you better sleep is getting an hour of natural light in the morning.
Start your body clock on schedule by spending at least ten minutes under direct sunlight every morning, if you cannot get an hour. Studies also show that this practice helps lose weight, fight cancer, and also improve performance in sports.
Furthermore, your exposure to the sun signals your brain to stop the production of melatonin which is a hormone that tells your body that it is time to sleep already. That signal sets your internal clock for the day, and the production of melatonin will again start at night during your sleep.
Turn Off the Lights
Aside from having the best mattress and lying down on a comfortable bed, the lighting in your room also sets the mood for your sleeping time.
Turn off the lights during the night when you are about to go to sleep to avoid glares and bright lights that can distract your eyes from being asleep.
According to Charles Czeisler, a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, the artificial light between sunset and sunrise that our eyes are exposed to hinders the neurons that prompt us to sleep and also prevents melatonin release in the brain.
Know the Right Amount of Sleep
You should be aware of how many sleeping hours your body needs every night to achieve your goal of getting the right amount of sleep.
Every individual’s required amount of sleep varies on many significant factors particularly the age. Here is a general guideline of the recommended amount of sleep for every age group starting at age three according to Eric J. Olson, M.D. of Mayo Clinic.
3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours
6 to 13 years: 9 to 11 hours
14 to 17 years: 8 to 10 hours
Adults: 7 to 9 hours
Takeaway
More than just focusing on having the right amount of sleep to fill your energy bars and start a fresh morning, it is also noteworthy that maintaining healthy sleeping habits reduce risks of chronic diseases in the long run.
Your body deserves to have the right amount of rest it needs which will also benefit your whole being in the end.
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