Do you think that sleeping for 3-5 hours maximum is enough? Or do you feel sleeping for 7-8 hours is enough? Either way, getting a decent night’s sleep is really required for your body and mind to function well. Yes, your sleep habits do define your productivity, your mood, your appetite, and your overall health. In this blog, let’s dive into the connection sleep has over your mind and body and how it is related to your overall well-being.
The necessity of a good night’s sleep for your brain
Let us understand the importance of a good night’s sleep. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine state that “Sleep may promote the removal of waste products from brain cells—something that seems to occur less efficiently when the brain is awake.” Isn’t that actually cool to know? Sleep truly benefits your brain to rest and declutter from the entire day’s hustle.
A well-rested sleep can also result in a sharper memory, increased productivity, creativity, decision-making, better concentration, and problem-solving, as well. Unbelievably, your brain is greatly impacted by the quality of your sleep. By sleeping well, you can protect yourself from diseases like dementia, stroke, heart attacks, Alzheimer’s, and seizures too.
Better the sleep, better the mood
Your sleep affects your mood always. The better you sleep, the much better your mood is and vice versa. Why does your sleep affect your mood? It’s simply because when you don’t sleep enough, it affects your stress hormones, which are related to your mood swings. Sleep acts as a natural stress-buster and thus also helps in regulating your hormones, wearing off anxiety, and mood regulation.
To ensure your mood is better, you need to sleep for 7-8 hours. This will not just have a greater impact on your mood, but it will also affect your relationships by making you bond better. If you don’t sleep better, you will feel more angry, depressed, sad, and frustrated. Sleep is equally related to your happiness, so just sleep in to be happy.
A few tips to sleep well
Keep those electronics away.
To have a quality sleep, it’s best to stay away from your mobile phone, tablets, laptops, or TV. Try to keep them away one hour before your sleep time, so you don’t feel more stressed while sleeping and also so that you don’t get engaged in other things on your electronics. It would also be much better to turn off your Wi-Fi.
Cleanliness and sleep
A clean environment is kind of essential for a quality of sleep. Ensure that your surroundings are clean around where you sleep so that you can sleep well and wake up feeling stress-free. Create your own sleep environment with whatever you prefer; you can have low lights, or candles, ideal temperature, slow, calming music, etc., to sleep better.
Treat your insomnia
If in case you’re having troubles sleeping, then engage in some mindful 20 minutes of bedtime yoga to sleep better. You can also meditate to fall asleep. Skip having heavy meals 2 hours before your sleep time, caffeine 4 hours before, and stay away from alcohol and smoke to have a quality of sleep. Take a bath if it helps. One great thing that can help you sleep better would be drinking chamomile tea; it has a lot of benefits and would help you fall asleep faster.
Limit your naps.
To have a better sleep at night, it’s recommended to avoid afternoon naps as much as you can. Yes, power naps of 30-45 minutes are fine, but naps above an hour can disturb your sleep cycle at night.
Conclusion:
Sleep is another thing related to your health, and it’s best to take care and change your sleep cycle now. Prioritize a good night’s sleep because it is as equally essential as having a good meal. Let your sleep pattern change your physical and mental health and reduce a lot of risks and diseases. Observe the change in your health and mood after changing your sleep cycle. So, get up, change that sleep cycle, and rest better so that you and your body can function better. Sleep well and have lovely dreams!