7 Tips for a better night’s sleep to get relief from sleep deprivation | Zyla Health
Sleep plays an important role in your health and well-being throughout your life. The way you feel while you are awake depends actually on how well you slept the night before. During sleep, your body is continuously working to support healthy brain function, restore energy and maintain your physical health.
Sleep deprivation is a term used to describe a state caused by inadequate quantity or quality of sleep, which includes voluntary or involuntary sleeplessness and circadian rhythm sleep disorders.
Sleep is as important to the human body as food, shelter, and clothes, but many of us don’t get enough sleep. Over the past few decades, both sleep quality and quantity have reduced and many people don’t get the rest that their body requires.
Sleep deprivation could be either insufficient sleep, inadequate quality of sleep or disturbance in the sleep-wake cycle. Those people working in different shifts or travelling to different time zones have consequences on how they function in the daytime.
Sleep issues affect people of all ages, and their impacts can be more than just feeling tired and sleepy.
Did you know that 35% of all adults report sleeping for less than seven hours per night?
A sleepy fatigued person is accident prone, judgement impaired, less productive, and more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions. Staying awake for more than 24 hours leads to reduced hand-to-eye coordination and causes fatigue. This is why sleep deprivation contributes to road accidents and work injuries.
Lack of sleep can also affect productivity and performance and could be linked to an increased risk of emotional problems such as depression. It can also cause weight gain and increase the risk of chronic disease in both adults and children.
Proper nutrition and a good amount of physical activity contribute to a good night’s sleep! If both of these factors are improved it can help improve sleep deprivation.
At Zyla, we have a specialized team of nutritionists and physical therapists that work round the clock to improve your lifestyle! Download the Zyla app now!
Many factors can affect a good night’s sleep, from work stress and responsibilities to illnesses. You might not be able to control some of these factors that interfere with your night’s sleep but you can change the habits to the ones that can help you sleep like a baby.
Start with these simple tips…
Tips for a better night’s sleep to relieve sleep deprivation
1. Fix your sleep schedule
Focus on going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, including weekends. This, if done regularly, helps build your body’s sleep-wake cycle and you start waking up and feeling sleepy at that particular time naturally.
Fix those seven-eight hours of sleep and you will see the wonders.
If you don’t fall asleep within 20–25 minutes of going to bed (without any distraction) leave your bed and do something relaxing such as reading or listening to soothing music. Go back to bed when you feel tired. Repeat as needed, but continue to maintain your sleep schedule and wake-up time.
2. Create a peaceful environment
Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet. Avoid using your bed for other activities other than sleeping, which will help train your mind to use your bed for sleeping only. Avoid prolonged use of light-emitting screens just before bedtime as it interferes with your sleep.
Doing calming activities before bedtime, such as taking a hot bath or using relaxation techniques such as meditations, might promote better sleep.
3. Limit daytime naps
Long daytime naps can affect nighttime sleep as your body usually sleeps for a limited duration only. These small tips will help you improve your sleep quality at night and ultimately help in sleep deprivation:
- Limit naps to no more than one hour in the day.
- Avoid napping late in the day.
4. Do some physical activity regularly
Many studies show that people who engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise may see a difference in their sleep quality. Exercise can also help you stabilize your mood as it pumps up your endorphins (the happy hormones).
Spending time outside in nature every day might be helpful, too. However, try to avoid being active too close to your bedtime as exercise keeps your body awake.
So what are you waiting for, add any exercise like weight lifting, yoga, zumba, or as simple as walking in your daily routine to sleep better. Learn more about the top 10 benefits of regular physical activity.
5. Manage worries
The most common cause of disturbed sleeping is overthinking at night about the tiniest problems in your life. So let’s start with a trick to jot down whatever is on your mind in your diary and then set it aside for tomorrow or if possible, try to resolve your worries or concerns before bedtime.
Stress management might help you too. Start with the basics, such as:
- Getting organized
- Making your bed in the morning
- Setting priorities: preparing a to-do list
- Highlighting only 2–3 tasks for each day
- Giving away tasks as required
- Meditation also can help ease your anxiety
If this does not help you, seek help from experts. Identifying the trigger and treating any underlying causes can help you improve your sleep and ease your mind.
If you are looking for a program that will benefit and improve your life and help you beat sleep deprivation. Check out the Zyla app or our website-Zyla.in. We offer a Holistic Health Program specialized in customized diet and exercise plans and expert medical guidance to help you improve your quality of sleep!
6. Light exposure
Your body has a natural regulator which affects your sleep-wake cycle. It is a time-keeping clock known as your circadian rhythm. It affects your brain, body, and hormones which helps you stay awake and tell your body when it’s time to sleep.
Natural sunlight or bright light during the day helps keep your circadian rhythm healthy and active. This improves your daytime productivity, as well as nighttime sleep quality and duration.
Did you know: In people with insomnia, daytime bright light exposure improved their sleep quality and duration? It also reduced the time it took them to fall asleep by 83%.
Try getting daily sunlight exposure to maintain your sleep quality or you can invest in an artificial bright light device or bulbs to help you.
Nighttime light exposure has the opposite effect on your body, this is due to its effect on your circadian rhythm, tricking your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. This reduces hormones like melatonin which help you relax and get deep sleep.
Blue light, which electronic devices like smartphones, laptops, and television emit in large amounts, is the culprit.
Learn more about the 3 reasons why you are not sleeping well, and tips to manage! So, if you want a peaceful sleep you need to respect the circadian rhythm as it can do wonders.
7. Food fix: Foods to decrease sleep deprivation
- Chamomile tea
A cup of warm chamomile tea at your bedtime acts as a sleep inducer and helps in calming nerves before bedtime. It also improves stress and anxiety which is the most common cause of disturbed sleep.
- Warm milk
Our grandma’s favorite turmeric milk has scientific evidence to help you sleep better as it contains tryptophan which helps you sleep peacefully.
- Kiwi
Kiwi is a great source of serotonin and antioxidant. Serotonin is a brain chemical that helps regulate our sleep cycle and reduces the chances of getting up in between while sleeping.
- Almonds
Almonds are a source of melatonin and the sleep-enhancing mineral magnesium, which makes them a great snack to eat before bed.
- Walnuts
Walnuts are a rich source of many nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, and omega-3 and additionally, they are a good source of melatonin which helps to sleep peacefully.
- Nutmeg
Nutmeg has been shown to aid sleep, in terms of quality and quantity both as it helps in calming nerves and releasing the serotonin which induces sleep.
Along with what to eat you need to remember things to cut out to improve sleep.
- Caffeine consumption:
Your favorite tea or coffee should be avoided later in the evening as caffeine stays in your body for 4–6 hours to keep you energized and causes sleep deprivation.
- Alcohol consumption:
Alcohol does allow healthy people to fall asleep quicker and sleep more deeply for a while, but it reduces rapid eye movement. So actually it affects your sleep quality. Alcohol even has more harmful effects.
Learn more about how alcohol programs your liver to die!
- Late-night food:
When you eat late at night, you’re going against your body’s circadian rhythm. Late-night food could lead to acid reflux and thus affect your sleep cycle and lead to sleep disorders.
Good sleep can help you improve productivity, exercise better, and be healthier and happier. If you want to optimize your health or lose weight, getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your body and mind. So start with these simple tips to get the sleep that you deserve.
Try these remedies for a good night’s sleep and help you beat sleep deprivation! Also check out Home remedies for Insomnia for more insight!
It is important to seek guidance from experts to observe efficient results. I suggest you download the Zyla app now or check out our website Zyla.in for personalized guidance for helping you beat your sleep deprivation from its root!
We offer a holistic approach with nutrition, exercise, and medical guidance which help you finally have a good sound sleep in no time!
Stay strong! Stay healthy!
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