How much sleep you should get each night?
We all need varying amounts of sleep, but on average, adults require at least 7 hours of sleep. However, as we age, it becomes harder to stay asleep.
What is insomnia?
Most individuals find it hard to fall asleep from time to time, particularly when anxious or stressed. However, if you are finding yourself feeling fatigued throughout the day, a lack of good night’s sleep could be an underlying issue. Some of the symptoms of insomnia include:
-Feeling fatigued and finding it hard to focus during the day
-Having trouble falling asleep at night
-Waking up at night
-Waking up early in the morning
Insomnia is usually common in women and usually increases with age. However, it can ideally be triggered by anxiety, stress, health issues, and some medications.
How Insomnia Can Affect You
The occasional night of poor sleep is unlikely to affect you significantly, but insomnia can have a substantial impact on your life, physically, mentally and socially.
Lack of adequate sleep leads to poor performance during the day and it affects your mood, thus affecting your relationships. Insomnia can ideally affect your appetite, leading to a craving for unhealthy foods and ultimately weight gain. Visit https://clairewinchester.co.uk/ to get rid of your insomnia.
Constantly experiencing poor sleep can increase the risk of health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. It an ideally impact your mental wellbeing, leading to conditions like anxiety and depression.
Insomnia can result in accidents and injuries and also affect the memory, as proper sleep presents an opportunity for the brain to consolidate memories.
Given the level of concern, it is imperative to consult your general practitioner if you are experiencing sleep deprivation.
Tips to Improve Your Sleep and Rest
According to experts, improving your sleeping habits can be a significant difference and contribute to getting a good night’s sleep.
Here are a few sleeping habits you should get into:
-Hit the hay and wake up at the same time daily.
-Create a bedtime schedule and strictly stick to it.
-Make sure your bed and sleeping environment is comfortable. Check out the best mattress 2020 reviews
-Avoid taking nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine in the evening
-Avoid working out before going to bed
-Do not eat a heavy meal at night
-Avoid looking at electronics when at the bed. Blue light stimulates the brain, which makes it harder to fall sleep.
-Avoid napping during the day. If you have to, make sure it’s at the same time every day and don’t overdo it.
-Avoid lying in
-Take a warm shower just before bedtime to relax the muscles
-Do a few stretches or yoga to unwind
-Read a book or write
-Keep the bedroom dark and cool. The best temperature should be 18 degrees Celcius.
-If you tend to wake up at night and find it hard to fall back asleep, get up and go to another room. Don’t do anything too involving, and instead read a book and you should be able to fall asleep. You can also listen to the radio or play a playlist of soothing music.
Where to Seek Help for Sleep Deprivation
If you do all the above and still find it hard to get a good night’s sleep after a month, it is advisable to consult your doctor. At first, your GP will ask you about your sleeping habits, advice on what to tweak and even ask you to keep a sleep diary.
They might as well refer you to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia practitioners. This might help break those patterns of behaviors and thoughts that might be causing insomnia.
Your general practitioner might also prescribe sleeping pills for the short term in order to help get some sleep. However, these are not recommended for the long term is they do not fight the underlying cause and can be addictive, particularly when you find it hard to sleep.
Sleep deprivation can be hard to deal with, but hopefully, these tips will help you get back on the right track.
