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| Sleep Hygiene | The very word “hygiene” means something that helps a person lead a healthy life. The idea of the sleep hygiene is considered to be the same as the idea of the dental hygiene, which helps people to stay healthy by keeping their teeth along with their gums clean and strong. The same is with sleep hygiene. Moreover, dental hygiene can even become a part of someone’s sleep hygiene, as it would be easier for a person to fall asleep at night after he or she has done all the “bedtime rituals”. Bedtime rituals are considered to be things, which a person does every night before going to bed. Sleep hygiene helps people stay healthy by keeping their mind and body strong and rested.
These are the tips, for how can a person have his or her sleep hygiene improved:
1. No one should go to bed unless he or she is sleepy.
In case if it is high time to go to bed, but you do not feel like sleep at all, you should better get busy with something. You can read some interesting book, listen to some soft music or even browse through some magazine. You should find something, which will relax you, but not stimulate in order to take your mind off of all the worries about sleep. Doing something quiet will help your body get relaxed as well as it will distract your mind.
2. In case if you can not fall asleep after 20 minutes, spent in bed, get out of there.
You will have to find something else to get busy with, which will make you feel as much relaxed as possible. It would be much better if you do this in another room, if it is possible, of course. The reason is that your bedroom is the place, where you go to sleep, and it is not a place to go when you get bored, or something. As soon as you feel sleepy, go back to bed.
3. Begin rituals, which will help you to get relaxed every night before going to bed.
To these rituals can be referred such as taking a warm bath, having some light snack, like an apple and one yoghurt, etc, or reading for a few minutes.
4. Get up at the same time every morning.
It would be much better to get up every time at the same time for anyone. Do not make exclusions even on weekdays and on holidays, as it will only be for the worse.
5. Get a full night’s sleep on a regular basis.
You should get enough sleep during the night in order not to feel tired during the day time.
6. Try to avoid taking naps during the day time, if it is possible.
In case if you can not stay awake during the daytime, and if you have to take a nap, then you should better try to keep it as short as possible (it is not to be longer than one hour). It is also necessary to point out that naps after 3 p.m. are never to be taken.
7. Keep to a regular schedule.
You should have meals, take your medications, if you have to, and do all your other activities at the same time every day. This will help you to keep your inner body clock running in a smooth way.
8. Avoid reading, writing, watching TV, talking on the phone, playing cards and other games in bed.
9. Avoid having coffee, chocolate and any other caffeine – containing food and / or drinks after lunch.
10. Avoid drinking beer, wine, as well as any other alcohol within at least six hours of your bedtime.
11. Avoid having cigarettes and / or anything other, which contains nicotine before going to bed.
12. You should never go to bed hungry, however, eating too much near your bedtime is either not good. The best way out of a situation like this is considered to be having some light snack.
13. Avoid doing any tough exercise within at least six hours before going to bed.
Of no doubt, you are to have exercises on your regular basis; however, all of them are to be done earlier. Do all your exercises any time before dinner. Therefore, before beginning any exercise program, you should ask your doctor’s advice.
14. Avoid taking sleeping pills, or at least use them with extreme cautiousness.
You should be aware of that most sleeping pills are not prescribed for periods longer than three weeks. In addition, it is extremely necessary to point out, that no alcohol is to be drunk while taking any sleeping pills.
15. Try to get rid of or deal with things, which make you worry.
Therefore, in case if you do not feel like you can do this, then you should at least find some time during the day and get all of your worries out of your system. Remember, that your bed is not a place to worry, but it is a place to have rest.
16. Make your bedroom as quiet and dark as possible, in addition, it should also be a bit cool there.
There exists quite an easy way to keep this tip in mind: your bedroom should remind you or a cave. Of course, this may not sound romantic for you, but it does seem to work for bats. You should get to know that bets are considered to be the champion sleepers. Every day they spend about 16 hours sleeping. And it is quite possible that the reason of such a long and calm sleep is because it takes place in dark cool caves, and not in our hot bedrooms, illuminated with clocks, lamps and TV sets.
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