In times where stress or anxiety reigns, it can be difficult to establish good sleep patterns. We could even say that there are those who consider the act of sleeping, at least to some extent, as a waste of time. There are factors of temporary insomnia, such as exams or some unexpected pressure of the day; and other more prolonged ones, such as going through a difficult time at work or worrying about the health of a loved one. And it is that the infinite thoughts or the endless things to do cause us to sleep, but not to rest.
But it is not just a question of sleeping well or badly, but rather the latest studies on the subject have managed to define with greater certainty what exactly happens when we reach full rest. This is where a myriad of reasons why we need that restful sleep come into play: to clean the garbage from the brain, to strengthen our memory capacities and the immune system, to regulate the metabolic and hormonal processes of our body or to participate in a night therapy that helps balance our emotions. Therefore, a good rest is not only a matter of ‘luck’; it is also a matter of science.
With this as a premise, we have listed some tips that will help you improve your quality of sleep:
Physical exercise as a habit
Sport is a good habit, since exercise stimulates the secretion of the stress hormone, cortisol, which activates the alert mechanism in the brain, so doing some physical activity regularly will improve the quality of sleep. A study carried out by Emma-The Sleep Company reveals that exercise during the day burns and depletes our energy reserves, so we need quality sleep to recover it and restore tissues. Theories suggest that total sleep duration and the amount of deep sleep increase after high energy expenditure because our bodies need even more sleep then. It is understood that exercise during the day could facilitate and promote sleep.
Get up at the same time every day
There is a myth that if you get up late on weekends you will make up for the rest you did not get during the week. Well, the truth is that if you manage to wake up at the same time every day —including such purposes—, you will help the internal clock to synchronize and this will mean that your body will know what time of day it is, so when you arrive At night you will feel complete and ready to sleep without the need to endlessly toss and turn around your bed before resting.
Lower your body temperature
It is said that a hot bath is the perfect action to fully rest all night. And it is that the brain and the body need their internal temperature to drop more or less 1 degree Celsius during the night to be able to fall asleep and stay asleep, therefore, taking a good bath is key at bedtime, since it takes all the blood to the surface of the skin, moving it away from the center of the organism.
Add meditation to your routine
Finally, choose to create a relaxation routine. It can be a meditation program —that teaches you to relax your mind and free it from anxiety and stress— or listening to binaural sounds while you are about to fall asleep. The important thing is to generate an aura that invites you to rest, to prepare for the next day and to encourage you to continue generating this peace that your body and mind need.
