1. Sleeping during the day
After a lunch break, especially if the meal was quite dense, we may start to feel sleepy. And with most people switching to telecommuting, a little nap during the daytime may become commonplace. And it is even useful, since a short nap, 20 minutes, will help refresh your head and feel better. It will not interfere with your normal daily routine, which is not the case with a long nap lasting more than an hour. This is enough time for the body to enter the deep phase of sleep, and when you wake up, you will not feel rested, but rather defeated. In addition, you are almost guaranteed to have problems falling asleep in the evening.
Chinese medical scientists conducted a study involving 300 thousand people, of whom 39% slept regularly during the day. This number was found to be 34% more likely to suffer from heart problems and related diseases.
2. Cell phone use before bedtime
The already hackneyed statement that sitting on a smartphone before bedtime is bad for everyone knows. But hand on heart, do we often listen to such rules? Meanwhile, if you give up talking to your smartphone a couple of hours before you go to sleep, it will have a very good effect on you.
Even if you just scroll through a social networking feed, it will have an activating effect on the nervous system. In addition, the cell phone screen is a source of the notorious "blue glow" that blocks the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep. It will take time for its levels to return to normal when you want to sleep again. So it's worth getting into the habit of keeping your smartphone away and giving up watching TV two hours before going to bed. It is also worth removing fluorescent-based lamps from your home, as they also glow "blue light.
It is useful, when preparing for bedtime, to light candles. The flame will give a warm glow, will promote relaxation and better falling asleep.
3. Coffee and strong tea after dinner
Most of us have gotten into the habit of drinking tea or coffee during meetings with friends or just in the evening. But in contrast to the morning portion of caffeine, which comes in handy, the evening portion may be detrimental to sleep. In small amounts caffeine does not bring harm, moreover - it can even bring certain benefits, but it has the property to tone the body.
It is considered that the elimination of caffeine from the body occurs during 3,5-4 hours, and on this basis we should calculate the optimal time for taking this drink. It is worth noting that a large amount of caffeine is contained not only in black tea and coffee, but also in green tea, cocoa and bitter chocolate.
4. Drinking alcohol before going to bed
There is a stereotype that hot drinks promote falling asleep. In fact, this is not true. Yes, it has a relaxing property, so you will obviously fall asleep sooner than usual. But the sleep will not be of high quality, because the natural rhythms of brain functioning, which usually accompany dreams, will be suppressed by alcohol. There may also be breathing disorders: snoring or even apnea (a type of breathing disorder characterized by stopping breathing for a short time when a person is asleep).
The use of alcohol negatively affects circadian rhythms and the "fast" phase of sleep, during which the body recovers and accumulates the resources necessary to function normally from a psychophysiological point of view.
On this basis, the constant abuse of "degrees", even in small doses, before going to bed, reduces reaction speed, impairs attention, memory and learning ability.
5. Cold showers - the enemy of good sleep
Cold showers are a great way to boost immunity, but it's still worth leaving them for the daytime. As a result of this procedure triggers a long chain of production of various hormones.
First of all, as a result of the activation of the nervous system under the influence of low temperatures, hormones are produced: cortisol, noradrenaline, as well as norepinephrine, which is responsible for warming the body. Too rapid a drop in temperature as a result of taking a cool shower causes the body to become "nervous", it has a defensive reaction, and it tries hard to warm up, which accelerates the metabolism and the heart rate. Brain activity and concentration increase, as well as energy levels, while at the same time the amount of cortisol, the stress hormone, also increases. It is this hormone that has a negative effect on your sleep.
In the evening it is worth giving preference to a bath or a warm shower - they help to fall asleep faster and significantly improve the quality of sleep.
If you find one of these habits in your daily routine, it's worth working on eradicating it. The results will not be long in coming - soon you will find that you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
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