Sleep hygiene. Fall asleep quickly and deeply

Useful tips/17 January 2021

Very often when a person thinks about sleep, all they think about is its duration. In sleep hygiene, there are 4 factors that are equally important:

1. Duration of sleep
2. Sleep regularity
3. Sleep fragmentation
4. Quality of sleep

Today, I’m going to tell you about the aspect that is most in everyone’s ear - the amount of sleep.

Generally, what insomnia is a condition where a person cannot sleep. The leading theory of insomnia right now is that it occurs as a result of a poor balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems.

Starting in the morning, a person’s cortisol levels rise, making them feel alert and energetic throughout the day, but in the 6-19 pm stretch, cortisol levels begin to gradually decrease and by 10-23 pm, they can fall asleep comfortably. A person whose sympathetic system is more active suffers from insomnia because when cortisol decreases by 6-19 p.m., there is a sudden spike (surge) of cortisol upward. When cortisol is high, it is impossible to sleep.

What to do about it? At the moment the most effective is considered to be:
• cognitive behavioral therapy
• changing your evening routine

There are external and internal factors that affect the process of falling asleep.

5 external factors affecting quality sleep:

1. Light. Less yellow!

There is a hormone melatonin, which begins to be secreted when it is dark and artificial light from various devices in the first place!!!, TV and lights in the room interfere with its production. It is scientifically proven that just 1 hour with a smartphone/tablet before bedtime reduces the hormone release by 50%, moreover these 50% will come to a person 3 hours later. Also this effect is noticeable both on the second and third day. All devices have the maximum negative effect on a person in the late hours, because they have blue light. If you use them before bedtime, put yellow light and minimum screen brightness, but BEST NOT TO USE THEM AT ALL.
 try to minimize lighting in the evening, don’t check email at night
 don’t watch movies/series where you sleep. Our brains are the perfect associative mechanism and humans very quickly begin to associate the bed with NOT the place they sleep on.
 use more yellow and less bright light bulbs and half the light sources 2 hours before bedtime.

2. Temperature. Cooler is better!

The optimal temperature for sleep is 18 C. In order to fall asleep a person’s body temperature must drop. 18 C is not comfortable for everyone because some people get cold hands and feet. Keep your feet warm - consider sleeping with socks on. Why is this important? Because our body releases heat through our hands and feet and when our body temperature drops, we fall asleep. When the hands and feet are cold and freezing, this process does not happen, the heat is retained in the body, as a result of which a person cannot fall asleep. That is why warm showers, baths, saunas work well before bedtime. When the body is heated, our vessels become closer to the surface and the body more quickly gives up heat and contributes to fast asleep.

3. Time. Out of sight!

Every person needs to learn to wake up without an alarm clock and remove them from their room. When a person sets himself an alarm clock, thinking about what time to wake up tomorrow and how many hours he has left to sleep, it all gives him anxiety, which disrupts the hormonal cascade and the favorable process of falling asleep. An identical reaction occurs, a surge of the hormone cortisol, such as on "check email."

4. Place. A bed to sleep in!

This item deals with the associative function of the brain. When a person is lying in bed and can’t sleep for a long time, you should definitely get out of bed, go somewhere else, turn on a dim warm light and for example read a book until you feel like sleeping. The problem is that the more a person lies in bed in which they can’t sleep, the more their brain perceives the bed as a place where they are tormented, so it’s important not to form these associations.

5. Postponement. Surround yourself with simplicity (not devices)!

Avoid using electronic devices that procrastinate and lead to procrastination. When you read, you don’t have that opportunity to procrastinate. Therefore, it is very good to have a time before bed when you are not using devices.

All devices conditionally "force" a person to pick them up many times a day, not only during the day while awake, but also at night while resting, they "force" a person to sleep a more shallow sleep and wake them up. That’s why it’s just as important not to pick up your phone in the morning when you wake up to check social media, because once you’ve accustomed yourself to this pattern, you’ll always sleep a shallow sleep and wake up earlier than is sufficient for your body.

3 internal factors that influence quality sleep:

1. Physical activity

It is not recommended to do physical activity 2 hours before bedtime because:

• it raises your body temperature, which may not have time to drop before bedtime
• it raises cortisol levels, which may not be able to drop to the right level to fall asleep.

2. Nutrition

Ideally, you should not eat 3-4 hours before bedtime because:

• digestive problems arise (reflux)
• the body does not rest properly, spending resources to process food
  Also should not go to bed hungry

3. Relaxation

• stretching
• meditation
• journaling - keeping a diary (write down 2-3 of the most exciting things of the day, then cover them with 2-3 things you are grateful for).
  This practice works very well because falling asleep in a good mood is much better and easier than in a bad mood.

Please, cherish your quality sleep and get enough sleep. Our health is not designed to sleep so little.

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