Sleep is not only essential for mental health, but also for physical health. However, in recent times, with the rise in the use of technology, the quality of sleep has been compromised, as has the quantity. Read on to know more about how you can get the best rest in a limited time:
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How much sleep is ideal for a healthy body?
The amount of sleep the body needs varies with age. When we are young, the body needs more sleep for optimal function. According to Sleep Health Foundation, newborn babies, need 12 to 18 hours a day, toddlers need about 12 to 15 hours of sleep, teenagers need 8.5 to 9.5 hours and adults need about 7 to 9 hours.
However, every adult is different and some may even require less than 6 hours of sleep to function. To find out where you fall on this spectrum, get in touch with the best neuro physician in Multan.
Inadequate sleep results in daytime sleepiness, irritability, mood swings, short temper, low tolerance, poor attention span, sugar cravings, etc. Sleep can also result in poor health, because sleep is the time during which the body repairs its cells, restores energy levels, and strengthens the immune system.
Naturally, when someone is not getting enough sleep, it is going to take a toll on their immune system, and their health will suffer.
Focusing on the quality of sleep
Instead of focusing on the number of hours that a body needs for sleep, one should focus on the quality of sleep. It is not necessary that the hours spent in bed result in sleep; rather, there can be disturbed sleep due to the use of cell phones in bed, late-night caffeine intake, or watching screens at night.
High-quality sleep includes: falling asleep within thirty minutes of lying down, not waking more than once at night, sleeping at least 85 percent of the time in bed, and falling back asleep within 20 minutes of waking up. Someone who is not falling into this criterion, they are likely to get poor quality sleep and inadequate rest.
Other signs of sleep deprivation include: needing an alarm clock to wake up, getting sleepy in meetings or lectures, urge to take a nap during the day, sleeping in on weekends, falling asleep while watching TV, feeling sluggish in the afternoon, and having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning.
How to sleep 8 hours in 3 hours
If you observe the aforementioned signs of fatigue and sleep deprivation, you should focus on getting good-quality sleep. Here are a few tips to help you sleep 8 hours in 3 hours and still feel active:
1. Follow a regular sleep schedule
This can be established by making a sleep timetable and sticking to it. Try going to bed and waking up at a particular time, including the weekend. You can set your biological clock in this way, and get sufficient rest. In fact, making a regular sleep schedule will eradicate the need for an alarm clock to wake up.
2. Get regular exercise
can also help you improve the symptoms of insomnia. Get thirty minutes of activity every day, but not too close to bedtime, and you will sleep soundly at night.
3. Limit caffeine intake
should not be done at least six hours before bedtime. Moreover, sugary foods, heavy meals, and drinking lots of fluid just before bedtime can also interrupt your sleep.
4. Manage your stress
Managing stress is very important for good sleep. Insomnia and sleep disorders can be a manifestation of mental disorders. Seek professional help by getting in touch with a top neurosurgeon in Karachi and get treatment for stress if you are having trouble getting enough rest.
5. Develop a good bedtime routine
Avoid work or screens just before bedtime. Using screens and LEDs that emit blue light can disrupt the circadian rhythm and our biological clock.
Therefore, screen use should be avoided before bedtime, and cellular devices should definitely not be used in beds. You can practice a relaxation technique just before bed, meditation, a warm bath, or reading a book in dim light.
6. Drink chamomile tea
You can drink chamomile tea just before bedtime to get a good shut-eye. Chamomile tea has soothing properties that make it a perfect beverage for bedtime.
7. Bedtime snacks
A perfect snack just before bedtime is cheese and crackers because cheese is rich in protein called tryptophan which helps to make serotonin, a brain chemical that makes you feel calm and happy. Warm milk has a similar effect; such snacks, therefore, help to improve sleep.
8. Get the environment right
Setting the right environment in the room, with dim lights and quiet is also important for getting quality sleep. Excessive noise and light can disrupt sleep, and lead to inadequate rest.
Alternative sleep cycles
If the aforementioned tips don’t work for you, you can try different sleep cycles, like the biphasic, everyman, or uberman.
- In the uberman cycle, sleep is spaced out into 6 to 8 naps, and these naps last for 20 minutes each. The total sleep that one gets on this cycle is two hours.
- In the everyman cycle, there is a 3.5 hours stint of sleep, followed by three naps of 20 minutes each. Throughout the day, there is a sleep period of about 4.5 hours.
- In the biphasic sleep cycle, one sleeps for 5-6 hours uninterrupted at night, and this is followed by one nap in the middle of the day.
If it’s stress causing your sleep disturbance then seek professional help. Since we are going through the coronavirus pandemic, it is important that you maintain social distance as much as possible.
Thus, instead of going out, you should book an online doctor video consultation with a psychologist for your mental health problems via oladoc.com. You can also call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT professional for your concerns.
