We spend a third of our lives sleeping . Sleep is a fundamental part of our life, so without proper sleep habits and patterns all kinds of health problems appear, both physically and mentally.
And it is that despite the importance of sleeping well, we still do not give sleep the importance it deserves. Proof of this is that 50% of adults have problems either to fall asleep or to make it of quality. And many of these cases are preventable by respecting healthy sleep habits.
Adopting strategies to help the body fall asleep better and avoid all those practices or behaviors that can interfere with the quality of sleep is of vital importance to guarantee a correct state of health. Eating well, doing sports, not smoking, not drinking, etc. is useless if we do not take care of our sleep health.
Therefore, in today’s article, in addition to presenting the importance of sleeping the necessary hours and achieving a deep sleep for health, we will show some of the habits that should be applied to have a healthy sleep.
Why is good sleep so important?
There can be no healthy life without good sleep health, because it is while we sleep that our body regenerates, energy levels are restored and the body prepares itself both physically and mentally to face the day.
When we do not rest the necessary hours and / or sleep never becomes deep, we open the door to all kinds of health problems both in the short and long term. The more prolonged or severe the sleep disturbance, the more likely the body will suffer and physical and mental health manifestations will appear.
And it is that sleeping badly has more negative effects on health than it may seem . And some of these consequences over time can end up being fatal for the person.
Increased blood pressure, increased risk of cardiovascular disease (the leading cause of death worldwide), tiredness and irritability, increased likelihood of anxiety, depression and other mood disorders, tendency to be overweight and obese, impaired bone health, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, increased chances of kidney problems, and even an increased risk of developing colorectal and breast cancer .
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As we can see, poor sleep has health consequences that can be serious, even being linked to an increase in mortality. So that our physical and mental health is not compromised, it is of the utmost importance to sleep the necessary hours and do everything in our power to make it easy for our body to easily fall asleep and keep it overnight.
How many hours do we have to sleep?
The answer to this question is not simple, since it not only depends on the age of the person, but each of us needs a few hours of sleep to feel refreshed and energized the next day. Anyway, the WHO published indications with the recommended hours of sleep for each demographic group according to age.
Adults should get 7-9 hours of sleep each day , although some may get enough for a little less. Adolescents, which includes people between the ages of 10 and 17, should sleep between 8 and a half hours and 9 and a half hours each day. School-age children, that is, from 5 to 10 years old, need between 10 and 11 hours of sleep to ensure proper mental and physical development. Preschoolers, ages 3 to 5, need even more: 11-12 hours of sleep. Newborns, from birth to about 3 years old, require 16 to 18 hours of sleep a day.
Putting efforts into respecting these sleep schedules is the first step to getting a good night’s sleep and avoiding the health problems we’ve seen before. Once they begin to be respected, the instructions and habits that we will present below will be much more effective .
What habits to better sleep do we have to apply?
There are a series of tips that will help your body both to fall asleep more easily and to make it of better quality at night. Awareness of the importance of sleep health to avoid the development of health problems linked to sleep deprivation will help you to respect the following habits.
Here are the main tips to improve sleep health , taking into account that sleeping the necessary hours is essential for them to be really effective.
- Go to sleep and wake up always at the same time
One of the worst things we can do for our sleep hygiene is constantly changing our schedules for both going to bed and waking up. We have to accustom the body to the same schedules, because in this way it will be able to regulate the day and night cycles much better, and not only will it cost us less to fall asleep, but it will also be of higher quality.
We also have to try not to sleep much more on weekends than on weekdays, because we lose our biological clock and the body will have a harder time recovering when Monday arrives. Obviously, nothing happens if one weekend we go to sleep or get up very late, but as a general rule the schedules should not vary more than 1 hour compared to those we have during the week.
- Play sports in moderation
Playing sports is one of the best ways to guarantee both that we will fall asleep quickly and that the sleep will be of quality, since the body will be more tired and rest better. But you have to be careful and avoid not doing it later than 7:00 p.m., especially if we do a high-intensity sport, since the adrenaline and other hormones that we generate when we exercise last a few hours in our body and can make we feel overly active when we get to bed.
- Watch naps
Napping doesn’t have to be bad for your sleep health. In fact, they can be a very good option to recover the hours of sleep that we cannot sleep at night. But you have to watch. If there is a habit of taking naps, these should not last more than 30 minutes and never do them late in the afternoon, because we completely misalign the body.
- Moderate your caffeine intake
Caffeine is a very powerful stimulant that gives us energy during the day, although it should be consumed in moderation and avoid taking it late in the afternoon. However, each person has a different resistance to caffeine. If you notice that taking it in the afternoon or even at night does not affect you, nothing happens.
- Avoid tobacco and alcohol
Tobacco and alcohol are two of the substances that most interfere with our quality of sleep. And it is that although especially alcohol can make us believe that we sleep better, the truth is that with neither of the two substances it is possible to get to have a restful sleep. If you want to take care of your sleep health, you should stop smoking cigarettes and moderate alcohol consumption.
- Do not eat or drink a lot before going to sleep
We must avoid heavy dinners and that these are not a few hours before sleeping, because these meals give us a lot of energy in an abrupt way and it will cost the body more to fall asleep, since it interprets that it has to be active. Therefore, you should have light meals for dinner and try to do it before 9:00 p.m. In the same way, we must avoid drinking a lot of water before sleeping, as this reduces the chances of interrupting sleep at midnight to go to the bathroom.
- Moderate mobile use
Mobile phones and other electronic devices such as tablets and laptops greatly interfere with our quality of sleep. And it is that they emit the famous “blue light”, which tricks our brain and makes it believe that it is daytime, so that the necessary hormonal processes are not given to encourage falling asleep. Therefore, it is important not to consult your mobile or other similar devices late at night.
- Sunbathe
Sunbathing is the best way to regulate our biological clock. And it is that if we walk under the sun’s rays, our hormonal levels throughout the day are adjusted in such a way that when night falls, melatonin begins to be produced, a hormone that “turns on” the necessary reactions to feel tired and that we are more easy to fall asleep.
- Take care of the room environment
It is very important that the ambient conditions of the room do not interfere with the conciliation of sleep or the maintenance of it throughout the night. Therefore, as far as possible, it should be possible to cancel the noise and ensure that the temperature is correct, that is, that it is neither too cold nor too hot. The temperature in the room should fluctuate throughout the year between 15 and 22 ° C.
- Relax before going to sleep
Read a book, listen to classical music, do meditation … Any routine that is useful to relax us will be effective both to fall asleep and to maintain it throughout the night. Similarly, it is important to remember that being in bed tossing and turning without being able to sleep is totally counterproductive. Therefore, if we see that we have not been able to sleep for more than 20 minutes, it is best to get out of bed, relax and come back when we feel really ready to sleep.
