Sleep is the body’s state of change which involves brain wave activity, heart rate, breathing, body temperature, and other biologic changes. It is a period of time that is restful because of reduced activity and reduced external factors. It is easy to reverse, but associated with a specific posture, lying down with eyes closed.
Two specific sleepy times during the day for most individuals who have regular sleep. Between the late night hours of midnight and 7am and again mid-afternoon between 1pm and 4pm.Sleepiness can be induced in other ways besides the natural daily sleep cycles. This includes those who do not get adequate sleep, certain drugs, or sleep disorders.
Why do we sleep?
Though we have come great …show more content…
Make that bedtime at least 9 hours before you need to be awake. Keep that time every day, even weekends.
■ Exercise – Exercising can help stimulate you during the day, but also improves sleep at night. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, but do it 5 to 6 hours before bed to eliminate the stimulant effect of it. Hint: try between the sleepy times of the day (between 1-4pm) to wake yourself up instead of grabbing a coffee.
■ Avoid stimulant like caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol – Coffee is not the only liquid source that gives a caffeine kick. Avoid drinks and foods like coffee, chocolate, soda, diet pills, some teas. Nicotine withdrawal in smokers usually wakes them early in the morning. Avoid smoking, not for only your health, but for your sleep health. Alcohol may seem like it makes you sleepy, but it robs you from the deep sleep that you experience in regular sleep, leading to not feeling rested.
■ Relax before bed- Think about how much sleep you truly get each night. If consistently less than 8 hours of sleep is accumulated, try to go to bed 15 minutes sooner than usual. If unable, try taking a 30-60 minute nap during the day. If you are consistently getting less than 8 hours of sleep per night, more sleep may be needed. A good approach is to gradually move to an earlier …show more content…
Try doing one of these every night before bed to start a bedtime routine.
■ Comfortable room – Extremely hot or cold bedrooms are unpleasant to sleep in. Maintain your bedroom to a comfortable temperature.
#13 When to seek help
Delaying help is common for sleep habits most of the time because of the hopes of getting better. You may want to seek help if you:
■ have gone weeks with inadequate sleep
■ falling asleep at the wheel
■ If reading or watching television is constantly putting you to sleep at odd hours of the day.
■ decreased concentration because of being tired all the time
■ told by others how sleepy you look or that you need to get more sleep
■ you can’t remember things or slow at responding
■ if you feel the need to nap most days
If you think you are getting enough sleep, but still feel sleepy during the day, check with your doctor to be sure your sleepiness is not due to a sleep disorder.
A good night’s sleep can be the result of most sleep disorders, if treated