Sleep deprivation can take a toll on our health. We all are aware of it. But still, going to bed on time becomes quite a struggle. And not just that, when you finally get to bed, you end up tossing, turning, and staring in the dark. And when your smartphone is right in your reach, you end up wasting another 20 minutes scrolling through social media.
It happens to me all the time. I’m not an insomniac. Not at all! But after a long day of work, I want my due share of some undisturbed entertainment. So I turn on my TV and make full use of my subscription to the Cox Cable packages. Sometimes way past midnight, and on a school night! Most of us have the same story. On average, most of us end up getting less than six hours of sleep every day.
Common Challenges Related to Sleep Deprivation
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that getting good sleep is a massive challenge. In addition to the biggest culprits and time-eaters, our smartphones, there are plenty of other distracters. Our hectic lifestyles, schedules, and even some addictive hobbies can interfere with our sleep schedules.
It’s high time we start giving priority to our sleep. We have to strike the right balance among our responsibilities, obligations, entertainment, and sleep. Here are some important facts related to the importance of sleep. Let’s motivate you to improve the quality and amount of your sleep.
Sleep is Essential for Optimal Performance
Do you know that kids who have optimal sleep routines perform better? They do well in things like cognitive flexibility, attention, working memory, brain functioning, inhibition, and so on! They also score better in school readiness. They have better health and stamina.
Turns out, it’s not just kids who benefit from maintaining a consistent sleep schedule. Adults equally need to maintain a good sleep schedule to perform well. You need to be energized to face every new day and its challenges. Some major factors, which impact your circadian rhythm are time, light, and melatonin. Inconsistent bedtimes can easily disrupt the circadian rhythm. Not only it interferes with the sleep cycles, but it also leads to metabolic disturbances and weight gain.
Lack of sleep affects a person’s moods, energy levels, brain function, performance, stamina, and many other things.
Tips to Improve Your Sleep
For your own benefit, take advantage of the following measures and tips to improve the quality of your sleep. All of them are intended to enhance relaxation and maintain a helpful and comforting environment to encourage better sleep quality.
- Try to avoid foods and chemicals, which can interfere with our sleep. Some instances are alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.
- Put a little effort to establish a calm pre-sleep routine.
- Use light to your own advantage, expose yourself more to light during the day and limit this exposure in the evening.
- Once you are in bed, avoid distractions like using your phone, watching TV, and so on.
- Don’t nap close to the regular bedtime.
- Pay attention to your sleep hygiene.
- Don’t eat or drink too much close to bedtime.
- Don’t exercise close to bedtime.
- Stick to your bedtime routine even on the weekends.
- Create a sleep ritual. Using essential oils to improve sleep is one instance.
- Waking up at the same time in the morning even if you had a late night will strengthen your fixed wake-sleep routine.
What is Adequate Sleep?
Sleep requirements can vary from individual to individual. Healthy adults, on average, require 7 to 9 hours of sleep to give their best performance every day. Sleep decreases with age. If you work at night or have very long working hours, make up for the lost sleep in the day time to avoid any health condition related to sleep deprivation.
Sleep requirement for kids and teens is more than adults. Therefore, it’s high time to have better control over yourself and prioritize your sleep. I have started avoiding the use of the phone once I’m in bed, and that has really helped. Also, I try to ignore all the juicy updates on Cox deals because I was getting hooked on late night movies. And I would still want more! Now I’m sticking to the very basic!
So, not only is the amount of sleep important, the quality is equally crucial. So work on improving that because it really helps with boosting your mood, performance, and stamina.