Wake up every day at the same time
Many of us use weekends and holidays to make up for lost time, but this habit is ineffective and even harmful. The effect of an additional hour of sleep on Saturday is pleasant, but usually temporary and leads to not so pleasant consequences in the evening when it comes to bed.
The body of every person is equipped with internal clocks, this is the so-called circadian rhythm, which determines when we are sleepy and when we are awake. This watch is directly related to sunlight: during the day we feel cheerful, and when darkness comes, our bodies secrete melatonin and send signals that it is time to go to bed.
Sleeping on the weekend, we shed the internal clock - as a result, it becomes more difficult to sleep on the coming night, and wake up fresh the next morning is almost impossible. The feeling of not getting enough sleep turns into an endless cycle. Over time, sleep deprivation combined with attempts to make up for lost time increases the risk of health problems, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and even type 2 diabetes.
What to do?
Wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Hard, I know. But believe me. It's worth it.
And do not think that getting up early on a holiday will be difficult: a couple of weeks - and it will become a habit, and you will feel better and really rested.
Reduce overall need for sleep
Lack of time is a serious problem for many people. Just imagine what you could achieve if you had two extra productive hours a day! The most obvious thing you can take off the graph to get extra time is sleep. The problem is that if we do not sleep, such «bonus time» is unlikely to be productive.
But what if we could sleep less, but have enough energy to do more? To achieve this result, gradually reduce the number of hours of your sleep: every day, from week to week, move the time you go to bed, or get up a little earlier. For example, you want to sleep 6 hours instead of 8. Don’t set an alarm two hours earlier: it won’t work. Sad, but that’s the reality.
Instead, use small intervals - 15 to 30 minutes during the first week - gradually increasing time. By the third week you can easily reduce your sleep time by 60-90 minutes. That’s kinda a lot.
Sleep in the dark
And again to circus rhythms: Any light that penetrates your bedroom can disrupt sleep and affect its quality.
As we go to sleep, our bodies rely on the production of melatonin and serotonin in the pineal gland - they are necessary for us to sleep soundly and calmly.
However, iron is extremely sensitive to any type of light, including LEDs from alarm clocks and computers, and especially to the glow of a phone or TV display. Exposure to light slows down melatonin production and keeps you awake.
If you can’t get rid of all the lights in the bedroom, try putting on a sleep mask. By the way, if you get up in the middle of the night to walk to the bathroom, it is also better to do it with the lights off. Well, in order not to stumble, use nightlights with weak light.
Sleep in a cool room
The night temperature tends to fall, which, like darkness, serves as another biological signal that it is time to sleep. So when we keep the bedroom warm, we disturb the natural balance.
Of course, you do not need to sleep in an uncomfortable cold room: if you are uncomfortable, you will hardly sleep well. However, the optimal temperature for quality sleep is 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. Temperatures above 24 degrees and below 12 can seriously disrupt your sleep.
Dinners are light foods only
A huge amount of heavy food before holing to sleep excessively stimulates digestion and interferes with comfortable sleep. Food processing requires enormous amounts of energy, and the body directs the blood flow to the digestive system, not the brain. As a result, since it is the brain that controls the sleep process, lack of blood in the brain means lack of energy for quality sleep.
Awarding morning system
You can stimulate the right habits by choosing the reward you will give yourself if you stick to the daily sleep plan. For example, you can reward yourself for every morning you wake up without having to carry the alarm. The method can also be applied as a long-term system of rewards for fulfilling the large goals that you note in the sleep log (remember about it?). But the reward in this case should be bigger.
