9 quick tips for a restful sleep
Sleep is our body’s own restorative mechanism which allows the brain to perform its ‘housekeeping’ duties and prepares us for the next day. For some of us getting a restful sleep may seem to be a challenge. Our sleep experts at Dozee recommends the following tips that may help you to get a restful sleep.
Watch what and when you eat: Research has shown that high-carb meal before going to bed may come in the way of a restful sleep even though it may make you fall asleep faster. Schedule your dinner time way before your bedtime as it raises the body’s metabolism and brain activity.
Reduce irregular or day-time naps: Avoid napping in the late afternoon as it can interfere with night-time sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to be in sync with the body’s circadian rhythms.
Wind down and clear your head: If stress is what is keeping you awake; you need to be able to manage stress effectively. Practicing meditation everyday helps one to calm the mind and programmes the brain to manage stress better.
Keeping taxing work for the night: It is important to finish work at least a few hours before bedtime. Always take time to wind down before going to bed as it helps in relaxing the mind and switch into sleep mode. It may not be a good idea to calculate your daily spend before bedtime. Instead follow a soothing ritual such as meditation, listening to relaxing music or taking a hot bath.
Getting a coffee before hitting the bed: If you are in the habit of having a cup of coffee before bed, resist the temptation! Drinking coffee within four hours of bedtime can keep you awake at night. It is best to cut the caffeine after lunchtime to get a restful sleep at night.
Have a set bedtime: Having no set bedtime is one of the reasons which actually make it difficult to fall and stay asleep. Setting a fixed time to sleep and a ‘power-down’ hour can work wonders and help you get a good night’s sleep. Set an alarm 1 hour before you plan to go to sleep. Spend the first 20 minutes wrapping up for the day. (cleaning the kitchen, answering to urgent calls and emails). The next 20 minutes should be spent on sleep hygiene (taking a hot shower, brushing the teeth, getting into nightclothes). For the final 20 minutes, follow a soothing ritual that can help you sleep.
Avoid training too close to bedtime: When we workout, our heart rate increases making it difficult for us to fall asleep. Try scheduling your runs in the morning hours before work or in the afternoon so that your body has adequate time for your heart rate to recover. Exercise in the mornings and balance it with an early bedtime to ensure that you get a restful sleep.
Track your sleep using Dozee: Tracking your sleep is a great way to understand the impact of a good night’s sleep on your running performance. Always pay equal attention to sleep and training. It will help to positively impact the quality of your workouts.
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Try sleep loading: Runners can hugely benefit from sleep-loading i.e. getting extra sleep in the week before starting a training programme to ramp up before the big day. Sleeping a half hour more each night to pay off the sleep debt can actually make you a better runner.
A good sleep composition includes a sufficient amount of Deep and REM sleeps as well as a high sleep efficiency. Deep sleep is responsible for physical restoration and recovery while REM sleep is related to memory consolidation. Both are equally important for a sound sleep. Dozee’s intelligent algorithms allow us to identify these stages along with the light sleep. Dozee also calculates your sleep efficiency, defined as the percentage of time spent sleeping from the time on the bed. This allows us to quantify the efficacy of your sleep
Getting adequate and restful sleep is important for healing, and sometimes even survival of illness. Sleep deprivation can impede recovery from an illness, decrease the ability to resist infection, and lead to neurological problems such as delirium. To know more, about how Dozee helps in monitoring health while you sleep, write to us at contact@dozee.io
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Dozee is not a medical device. It is not designed or intended for use in diagnosis, prevention or cure of any disorder or illness.
