The Road to Healthy Sleep

, Psychologist, liyap.com17.1K reads

At last, it’s time to put all of your newly acquired knowledge into practice. It’s important to understand the basics of how sleep works, how it can be disrupted, as well as the consequences of either not sleeping enough or oversleeping. 

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Still, it’s even more important to start changing unhealthy sleeping habits, once and for all.Irregularities in your sleep pattern, whether it is sleep deprivation or constant napping, can lead to significant changes in your physical and mental wellbeing. The solution is to learn about sleep hygiene.

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Sleep Hygiene

The environmental and behavioral practices that are known to improve the quality of sleep, and also allow full daytime awareness, are known as sleep hygiene. From now on, this will be our focus.

Continuous Efforts Are Needed

You’ve got to be patient, though. Here you will find a variety of techniques and tips, and some degree of modification to your daily habits may be needed as well. Some practices you may be excited to try out, as soon as you read about them, while others may breed contempt. However, please keep in mind that for what you’ve learned to help you really, you’d have to help yourself first, in the form of committing.

Changes do not just happen by reading techniques, so please don’t forget to practice any new approach. If you put everything that this course contains into practice and action, you will gain a lot.

Physical and Psychological Results

We’ve been talking about the severe impact sleep disorders have on your mind and body, now let’s turn the tables and see everything that you can gain by taking care of your sleep hygiene.

Here are the benefits of sleeping the right amount of hours:

Physical

Strong Immune System

Studies have demonstrated that those who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to catch infections.

Less Pain

Acquiring healthy sleep habits has proven effective for people with chronic pain. Research has also shown that sleeping poorly is associated with a lower pain threshold.

Heart Health

By now you know that sleeping well improves a person’s physical and mental health, but it is so important, that we just have to mention it again. When it comes to the cardiovascular system, sleep is extremely important. Sleeping five hours or less per night has been related to a greater risk of suffering from heart attacks and hypertension.

More Satisfying Sex Life

This one is obvious - if you’re fatigued, chances are you won’t be very enthusiastic about sex. Several polls claim that about 25% of adults believe that their sex life has been affected by drowsiness.

Better Physical Appearance

This may seem shallow at first, but really, it’s a quick way to say that sleep also increases the regenerative properties of skin, and stimulates the metabolism. People with sleep disorders tend to experience significant weight fluctuations, the results of which can be negative both for one’s self-esteem and physical health. Sleep makes you look better because your body is functioning better.

Psychological

Better Disposition

As you know, the fewer people sleep, the more symptoms of depression and anxiety they seem to have. Sleep and mood are closely related, and thus, having a good night’s sleep can make you feel happier during the day.

Improved Decision-Making

By sleeping well, you’ll be improving your cognitive functions. With excellent memory and assessment skills, you’ll be on top of your game and feel good about whatever decision you have to make.

Learning Abilities

Pretty much on the same line as decision-making. When you sleep better, your concentration skyrockets, you are more focused and learn new things with less effort (compared to when you’ve not rested).

Give It a Go

These are some of the greatest benefits of sleep. If you’re still not very excited to try the tips and techniques that will follow, reread what could be if you slept more, and imagine yourself feeling healthy and energized. Surely, it’s worth a try.

Remember to put your heart and mind into these techniques, because the truth is, you hold the key to your sleep hygiene.

Full reference: 

(Jan 28, 2016). The Road to Healthy Sleep. Retrieved Nov 13, 2024 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/e/road-to-healthy-sleep

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