SHARES
“I have a busy work routine. As I get less and less sleep over time because of overworking, at one point I felt so tired all the time but I just couldn’t sleep at night. I felt so miserable and constantly worried if I can sleep tonight?”
Why Do We Need Sleep?
Sleep is important for our physical and mental well-being. During sleep, our body organs like brain and liver are more active than you think. They are busy repairing, rejuvenating, and forming memory. There are still many aspects about sleep that we just don’t know. Modern medicine can conclude that lack sleep is bad for our health and emotional well-being. Sleep deprivation greatly increases our risk for heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It is also related to poor memory and concentration, depression, weight gain, poor skin health and low sex drive.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concept of “Qi” highlights the importance of not only getting enough sleep, but also sleeping at the right time for the body organs to function properly. Similarly, failure of the “Qi” to flow properly at specific time can give rise to respective disturbed moods such as being irritable, indecisive, stressed, agitated and angry with emotional upheavals such as becoming quick tempered and anxious.
Photo by toodlehub gradec on Flickr
What Are The Sleep Essentials?
1. Sleep Routine and Ritual
Practise a good habit of going to bed around the same time every day. Avoid sleeping or napping during other time of the day as this will disturb your body clock. Instead, go for power nap that lasts not more than 30 minutes. Also, practice a pre-bed ritual that you find comfortable and calming. For example, you may like reading a book or writing a diary under warm desk light and ambient music. You may also find a warm bath, a massage and a glass of hot milk do just the magic! The key is to keep these rituals soothing, relaxing and, yes, out of bed! Keep for bed strictly for sleep and sex. If you can’t sleep in bed after sometime, don’t push yourself. Gently get out of bed and give yourself some time and patience to enjoy the pre-bed rituals. Once you feel sleepy, snuggle back in bed.
2. Choosing the Right Pillow and Mattress
Pillow:
There is a wide range of bedding available for your personal needs. If you sleep on your side, choose a firmer and thicker pillow to keep your neck straight and supported. Get a softer pillow instead for sleeping flat on your back. Also, pay attention to the materials used. Some people may have allergy towards natural cotton, down, feather and latex.
Mattress:
For mattress, you should get your back well supported during sleep. A memory foam surface layer can do the job. However, some people may be find it hot as it moulds to your body shape. Using a foam mattress is more airy but it tends to lose its volume faster. Replace or upholster your foam mattress if it loses its support. A latex mattress is great for support and airy at the same time, but it can be pricey. The ultimate aim is that you would want a bed that you look forward to sleep in.
3. Lowering the Room Temperature
Bringing down the body temperature makes you sleepy. You can achieve this by lowering your air-conditioner slightly to feel cool, but not cold. Turning on fan at low speed can help circulate the cool air. If you happen to get into intense activities and work before bed, make sure to cool yourself down mentally with your preferred form of relaxation such as a warm bath, massage, facial mask etc. Being anxious with running thoughts in your mind can raise your body temperature too! You’ll turn around restlessly in bed finding every position uncomfortable and hot.
4. Darken the Bedroom
Our body responds to light and the absence of it. Bright light such as sunlight, blue light from your computer, phone and TV screen as well as white fluorescent lamp can all stimulate a network of brain cells (hypothalamus, sympathetic nervous system, pineal gland) and secrete hormones that are helpful for you to kick start your day and feel more energetic. These will affect your sleep-wake cycles. Use a dim light in your bedroom to prepare you for bed. If you happen to use the washroom in the middle of night, use a dim warm light instead. Putting your phone and computer screen to night mode with warmer light helps too. Having said so, avoid gaming and stimulating or dreadful contents as these may keep you up with midnight thoughts. Total darkness may work for some but for others it can leave you fearful at night. If that be the case, set up dim warm lights around your bed instead.
5. Quieten Your Bedroom
If your bedroom is poorly insulated from noises from the road, neighbours, and pets, you may experience difficulty in sleep. Add soft padding to your window pane such as rubber, keep your furniture off the wall, and use more soft materials like fabrics in your room to reduce noises. You may want to keep your pet outside your bedroom and have a talk with your neighbour if necessary. For your snoring partner, you can try a lot of effective ways such as sleeping on the side, using some tools and get help from a doctor! Sometimes, we can feel uneasy if the room is too quiet and we can get startled easily. You may use “white noises” to drown out any background noises. It can be as easy as playing classical music and turning their volume down.
6. Daylight and exercises
Yes, you hear me right! Sleep essentials not only come from you bedroom at night. Sleep and wake is a cycle just like day and night; work and rest. You need to get enough sunlight, play and explore, sweat and work out at outdoor activities during the day to have a nice sleep at night. The happy hormones released make you feel contented and restful.
7. A calm and undisturbed mind
We all have things that keep us up at night. Sometimes, when we think too much about the future, we feel anxious with racing thoughts and worries. These inner noises become more noticeable to ourselves at night when the world quieten. Try taking deep breathes or meditate. One way of deep breathing is to breathe in with your tummy raised and vice versa. Avoid leaning forward or breathing in with your shoulders raised as this will only make you more anxious. On the other hand, if we think too much about the past, we feel trapped, confused and down. You can be wide awake with a blank mind but with horrendous pour of emotions. Try moving around your body and have a walk. The key is to move. It can be as simple as moving your fingers as you scribble and doodle on a piece of paper!
Photo by OSA Solutions on Flickr
Conclusion
Are you having trouble to sleep at night? This can be partly explained by bad sleep hygiene. Sometimes, the problem goes way beyond and can really affect your health, well-being and relationship. Talk to your doctor today get help for sleeping better at night.
Find a GP/Family Doctor and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Malaysia, on GetDoc
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References:
- Tips for better sleep [CDC]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2016. [Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html; last updated on 2016 July 15; assessed on 2019 May 24]
- Sleep hygiene [Internet]. National Sleep Foundation. 2019. [Available from: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-hygiene; accessed on 2019 May 24]
by Chang Xian
View all articles by Chang Xian.
