Who among us would not like to sleep anymore? We live in a world like this, where the end of the working day does not mean the end of work at all. If you're used to bad, short naps at completely different times, then this material will help you return to the previous rhythm of normal sleep.
Effects of lack of sleep
Your body is an extremely complex organism, which has evolved over millions of years. But we didn't adapt to a little sleep., and this will not happen soon either.
There are many side effects associated with lack of sleep., for example, tiredness the next day, stiff muscles and general irritability. In addition, lack of sleep leads to other problems., which you do not notice as clearly, like a yawn.
Long-term sleep problems increase the risk of heart disease, impair the ability to remember, increase the risk of diabetes and obesity (sleep is necessary for normal regulation of insulin and glucose to work), can lead to depression, yes and much more.
How to get your sleep back to normal?
On average, you need to target eight hours of sleep per day., however, this figure may differ from person to person. Japanese, for example, sleep on average seven hours, but what to take from them - workaholics.
You need a bright light in the morning. Your internal "clock" uses different cues such as light and dark, exercise and meal times to guide your daily routine. Light tells your brain the best time of day.. Waking up, turn on a bright light and open the curtains, so that sunlight also enters the room.
Dim the lights in the evening. Too much lighting in the evening moves your sleep a little further.. In general, experts advise not to use a computer an hour before bedtime., phone or watching TV - our eyes are too sensitive to their light.
Large meals are best done at the same time.. Researchers from Harvard have found out, that eating time also affects a person's internal clock. Respectively, Shifting meal times can help people cope with changes in work routines or flights to a different time zone. For us, it means that, what big meals (no snacks), and exercise, it is worth spending at approximately the same time every day. It will help your brain and body to live up to this "routine".
Reduce your caffeine intake. Wonderful drink, able to charge us with vigor for several hours, can negatively affect your sleep ability. Certainly, morning or afternoon coffee will not seriously harm you in this regard, but after dinner (some recommend after lunch) you shouldn't drink it, no matter how tired you feel.
If you try to shift the mode by only 1-2 hours "back", then do it gradually. Go to sleep on 15 minutes earlier, than the previous night. By the way, it is better to get up immediately after waking up, and not lie on the bed for a while, dreaming of continuing sleepy adventures.
Minimize external influences. When you try to return to normal sleep patterns, it is important to minimize distractions. There is a cat, constantly jumping on the bed in 3 midnight? Drive the asshole out of the room mercilessly. Neighbor in the middle of the night starts his lumbering car, waking you up? Buy plugs. Girlfriend gets up before you, to put yourself in order? Buy a sleep mask.
Don't torture yourself. Well,, suppose, you didn't drink coffee, and in general they followed all this, but you can't sleep. Don't be overzealous, forcing yourself to lie down and fall asleep. You can get out of bed and do something relaxing.. But remember - no electronic devices. Read a book or flip through magazines. Something boring and stress-free can be done.
Long-term perspective
Analyze, how much sleep do you need. Has it ever happened, that you woke up before, how your alarm clock starts ringing? If yes, then you probably remember, how wonderful did you feel. Ideally, it would be a good idea to experiment with the consistency and magnitude of your sleep like this, to wake up before the alarm goes off - fully rested and ready for achievement. 7-8 hours is the minimum.
Be persistent. The most effective routine will be different for each person.. You need to find that perfect routine., for example, do not drink coffee after lunch, go to bed strictly at a certain time, do not use gadgets for 20-30 minutes before bedtime, and stick to it.
Anticipate lack of sleep. Sometimes a lack of sleep cannot be avoided - for example, something happened to your friend and you urgently need to visit him. There are many examples.. But in most cases, things like this will not come as a surprise., but rather an event, which you know about (weekend party). Knowing about, that some day your sleep routine will change, you can do like this, so that this event does not seriously damage your regime. After all, you can sleep for an hour during the day.
