For some people, sleep is an elusive and almost impossible feat. This is a serious situation that most people take for granted, not knowing the full significance of a good night’s sleep. While it is a common belief that sleep rejuvenates our body, the not so common truth is that for this to work, we actually need 7-8 hours of sleep per day. This is 7-8 hours of several cycles of the 4 stages of sleeping – light sleep to deep sleep to light sleep to REM sleep and then repeat. Without a repeat of these stages, there would be little to no regeneration of anything in your body
Chronobiology
Chronobiology is a branch of science that deals with our natural body clocks. One of the most well known is the Circadian Rhythm, which is a natural timekeeping clock that tells our body when it’s time to sleep and wake up. This pattern can be out of cycle and can wreak havoc on your sleeping. Read on below for some tips on how to get better sleep and get the most out of it.
Body and Mind Preparation
One of the best things you can do to restore an out of sync pattern is to be consistent in your body clock scheduling. What we mean by this is to set a time to sleep and wake up daily and stick to it and be as consistent as possible. Having a routine will condition both your mind and body to fall into it. To prepare the body for wakefulness, get out into bright light when you wake up. The light will tell your body to produce cortisol and get you going. Avoid drinking caffeine after noon as this will affect your sleep at night. Do your caffeine fix in the morning when you need it most. Read labels on food and drink packaging as some food may have caffeine as their ingredient without you knowing it. Again a little bit of exercise right about the time you go out to get some bright lights will do wonders for your sleeping patterns later in the day. Put at least about 4 hours before your bedtime for any exercise that you may want to do.
Give your Body Cues
We talked about Body and Mind Preparation, now prepare the place you are sleeping in for the maximum comfort that will tell your body that it is time to sleep the moment you enter. This is very simple when it is time to sleep, make sure the room is dark. Avoid looking at gadgets that emit blue light and turn on night mode on your devices. If there are lights coming in from your windows, try to put on some covers or put on a sleep mask. Also, make sure that you stay in a room that is as quiet as you can make it. A good way to avoid getting into a clash with family members is to make them join in on your healthy sleeping habits.
Supplement
Use the power of supplements to aid you in your quest for a better sleep. Melatonin and GABA are good substances to start with. Melatonin supplements are quite effective in restoring your Circadian pattern into normalcy. Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid or gaba neurotransmitter function is a nervous system relaxant that can also have the same effect to restore any imbalances in sleeping patterns. While does gaba work for anxiety varies per person, they stay within a safe range with minimal to no side effect at all.