Good sleep plays an important role in our day to day life. A recent study shows that irregular sleep patterns cause metabolic disorders. Due to lack of good sleep, people may suffer from drowsiness, irritation, depression, irregular heartbeat, unusual weight gain etc. Actually, proper sleep reduces the whole day’s work pressure and tension. While you sleep your mind is at ease with yourself. Sleeping is a passive state of mind. Proper sleeping is important as it promotes growth in children and energy in adults. Therefore it’s necessary to develop healthy sleep habits in children.
Definition of Good sleep-A good night’s sleep can enhance your memory, analytical power and problem-solving skills. If you sleep properly on time for a quality period of time, it can be called good sleep. If it removes your tiredness and lethargy, then it is called good sleep. Most importantly good sleep is fundamental to both your health and your longevity. Therefore, good sleep hygiene ensures you consistently enjoy higher-quality, more peaceful sleep for a sufficient amount of time each night.
How to develop healthy sleep habits– It’s not easy to follow a particular routine in order to sleep properly and peacefully at night while you handle so much pressure in your workplace daily. Try to maintain the following steps to ensure good sleep every night-
Put off the lights– First put off electric lights in your bedroom. Then put on a night lamp as it will allow you to sleep smoothly.
Stay away from mobile and laptop at night– While you are trying to sleep, keep your mobile phones, laptops away from you as these will hamper your will to sleep peacefully. Stay away from the TV.
Practice meditation before sleeping– Try to do meditation at least for 15 minutes before sleeping.
If you can’t sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired– If you can’t sleep in your room, try to practice some exercises that will make you feel tired .You may enjoy some music by wearing headphones. You may listen to ragas, slow tunes, soft music.
Avoid taking heavy meals-At night try to take light meals like milk, roti, dal, sabji, oats etc.
Avoid smoking and drinking-Don’t even try to do these things at night before sleeping as it will not enable you to sleep.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress and use good pillows– Make sure your mattress is comfortable. The one you have been using for years may have reached its life expectancy. Most importantly have comfortable pillows and make the room attractive and inviting for sleep but also free of allergens that might affect you and things that might cause you to slip or fall if you have to get up during the night.
Set your room temperature– Design your room first. Most importantly try to switch on the AC if you have it in your bedroom and set the temperature between 60 to 68 degrees. You can operate the energy mode in it. It will not disturb your sleep because it will automatically adjust the room temperature.
SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND DEFICIENCY– Now- a- days people often suffer from a sleep disorder and deficiency syndrome.
Sleep helps your immune system stay strong. The less you sleep, the harder it can be to fight common infections.
Insufficient sleep causes forgetfulness, depression, mood swings, fatigue, yawning, inability to concentrate, stroke, diabetics etc.
Most importantly chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for high blood pressure, heart failure and heart disease.
It affects the brain and immune system. It makes you feel less alert and active.
Therefore you may face problems with higher-level functions, such as planning, organization, and judgment. Therefore Psychiatric symptoms of sleep deprivation include disorientation, hallucinations, & paranoia.
Obstruction in the natural flow of the sleep cycle can affect hormones such as thyroid hormone and growth hormones & can contribute to infertility.
Benefits of sleep- There are several advantages of having a good sleep.
1) It improves your function of brain thus memory.
2) It may reduce depression.
3) Most importantly it will help you to reduce weight.
4) Sleep can lower your blood pressure and decrease the chance of severe heart attack.
5) While you’re sleeping your body is producing extra protein molecules that can increase your ability to fight infection.
6) Next Sleep can reduce your chances of diabetes.
7) If you sleep well, there won’t be any dark circle, puffiness around your eyes.
8) Most importantly good sleep makes you feel energetic throughout the day.
9) If you’re suffering pain from a recent injury like a sprained ankle or suffering from abdominal cramps, getting plenty of sleep can actually lessen your pain.
10) Most importantly sleep increases life span.
Healthy sleep habits of children– In the following way, you can develop healthy sleep habits in your children-
Motivate them to do exercise- Being a caring father/ mother, it’s your duty to instil good habits in your children. Always encourage them to practice some exercises, meditation half an hour before sleeping.
Build a cosy environment inside the bedroom– You have to keep your baby’s room clean and cool. Set the temperature. Put on night lamps so that the brightness of any light may not disturb your child’s sleeping process. Don’t make unnecessary noise inside the room.
Don’t go to bed hungry- Make sure of the fact that your child is not feeling hungry while going to the bed. Give him/her plenty of nutritious food throughout the day. But don’t force him to overeat.
Conclusion– Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory. We all know the value of good sleeping and we’ve all experienced the feeling of being refreshed after a healthy sleep – and the feeling of fatigue after a poor night’s sleep. But even though we know this, in our busy society, many of us are not receiving the quality sleep needed to truly receive the health benefits of sleep. You need 8 to 9 hours sleep in a day regularly. Otherwise, you will suffer from anorexia and other sleep disorders.
