Sleep, good or bad, affects you. There are ways to increase its benefits.
Stick to a sleep schedule, and go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This has serious benefits in physical health and can extend your lifetime. This improves sleep duration and having a schedule is important for your circadian rhythm.
A circadian rhythm is the body’s 24-hour cycle of physical, mental, and behavioral changes. It is referred to as the “body clock.” It can affect your hormones digestion, and body temperature.
A circadian rhythm is connected to an internal clock in your brain. This block is in a tiny cluster of cells called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN is located in a part of your brain that is called the hypothalamus. As the day goes on the internal clock genes in the SCN control the motivation and activity occurring in your body.
Outdoor factors such as light can have a big impact on your sleep. When light enters your eye, cells can connect to your brain to stop producing melatonin, a hormone that helps sleep.
Exercising every day is helpful for making you feel tired. There is a difference between being physically exhausted and feeling sleepy. Physically exhausted does not mean it will help you fall asleep, but feeling actually tired will.
Exercising can help reduce stress and anxiety. It provides an environment to focus on only what you are doing. If you are experiencing problems with mental health, then your sleep can be negatively affected. So working out can block out those problems and be a sleeping benefit.
Exercise can also help with your circadian rhythms. The cycle is that you are awake during the day and sleep during hours of complete darkness. Exercising outdoors helps align the circadian rhythms with daylight/darkness and help you fall asleep quicker.
A nap offers lots of benefits to falling asleep such as: relaxation, better mood, quicker reaction time and memory, and more alertness. Taking a nap at the wrong time of day or for too much time, however, can backfire.
It is not the best idea to take a nap mid-afternoon because it can make you feel groggy after waking up. This is called inertia, a state where you do not feel like doing anything after a nap instead of getting a boost of energy. Taking naps during early afternoon is best for optimal effectiveness.
Do not take naps any longer than 30 minutes. A 10-20 minute power nap greatly improves alertness and a nap for longer than 30 minutes can make you feel groggy and affect the sleep you get at nighttime.
Create a good sleeping environment. A relaxing environment can improve the effectiveness of the rooms by the room temperature, noise and light levels, and comfort. The ideal bedroom temperature is 65 degrees Fahrenheit and 18.2 degrees Celsius.
There are many ways to improve your sleep. The most important thing is get quality sleep. Implementing just a few of the above will go a long ways to a happier, healthier, more rested you.
