Sleep well, Be well!

Ever since the lockdown has started our sleep routine has been disturbed. we have been sleeping more or replacing our sleep with Netflix bingeing or we have changed our sleep time.

Whatever the case is it is going to have an effect on our health in a long term, physiologically and psychologically

Let’s see how bad sleep schedule affects our lives

    

    1.   Memory

During sleep, pathways from between nerve cells (neurons) in your brain that help you form memory and store the information you learned.
Sleep deprivation can cause memory deprivation too

    

    2.   Concentration

When you sleep your brain gets rest too. Even you must have noticed that when you are fresh you work better than when you are sleepy. When you sleep less, the signal your brain sends may also be delayed, decreasing yourco-ordination  and can cause mishaps.  
Hallucinations may also happens where you hear and see things which are not really present

    

    

      3.   Mood Swings

You may get irritable, tired, angry. This even affects your relations with the people, friends.

This also increases stress and anxiety and affects your mental health. Less sleep causes cortisol spikes ( cortisol is the stress hormone ) Constant cortisol spikes causes blood pressure to rise an may also cause cardio-vascular diseases

    

   

   

   

    4.   Immunity

 You cannot risk your immunity in this pandemic time

 Sleep actually helps you build up antibodies and cytokines- which are   the soldiers of our body. 
This is one of the reason why we feel sleepier when we are ill because our body is fighting against the invaders and   producing more antibodies.

 Long term sleep deprivation also increases your risks for chronic   diseases such as diabetes mellitus and heart diseases

    5.   Weight gain

When you are over tired, brain craves for caffeine rich food, high carb snacks and avoids exercising. 
We start eating larger portions of all food throughout the day causing weight gain. 
Less than 5 hours of sleep means high level of ghrelin (hormone that stimulates hunger) and low level of leptin (hormone that suppresses appetite)

Also your body does not respond well to insulin. 
It cannot process the fats from your blood stream, so it ends up storing them as fats

Now what are the solutions?

How can someone not mess up their sleep schedule?

How can you fall asleep easily and wake up fresh?

Here are 5 solutions

1.   Fix your sleep schedule

Don’t stay awake too late as you are just messing up with your  circadian rhythm ( sleep-wake cycle).Our organs work according to the circadian rhythm. In darkness (night) our pineal gland releases hormone called as melatonin, which induces sleep. Follow a routine. Every one needs minimum of 6-7 hours of night sleep. Fix your sleeping time and fix your wakeup time so your body adjusts to the routine and it will help you to sleep easily

2.    Have dinner at least 2-3 hours before you sleep

Consuming a large meal before bed may affect your sleep. Try to have dinner early so you can sleep peacefully and your digestion happens properly. Don’t drink caffeine too late in evening, as it acts as central nervous system stimulant and so it would activate your brain and will not help you sleep 

3.   Take break from electronic screen

Don’t use any electronic screen at least an hour before you sleep so you can relax and unwind. Our pineal gland stops secreting melatonin when it senses light from your TV or your mobile. So it is necessary to stop screen-time 1 hour before you sleep

4.   Relax and unwind

Stress is the biggest enemy of sleep. Find a way to relax your mind. Listen to relaxing music, meditate, visualize, read, shower at night. Try whatever suits for you. Be creative, after all its your body

5.   Yoga

Yes, there are yoga poses for better sleep too! ( no wonder I love yoga so much. All the yoga poses mention below help you expand your chest and relax your brain. Try this flow before you sleep and you will see the results soon

1.   Hero pose- 30 seconds

2.   Child’s pose- 30 seconds

3.   Cobra pose- 15 seconds

4.   Sitting camel pose- 15 seconds

5.   Butterfly pose- 15 seconds

6.   Supine twist- 15 seconds each side

7.   Bridge pose- 30 seconds

8.   Knees to chest pose – 30 seconds

9.   Corpse pose (savasana) – 1 min relaxation 

Good Foods for sleep

Chamomile tea

It contains apigenin, which is an anti-oxidant that binds to certain brain receptors that may promote sleepiness and reduce insomnia

Passionflower tea

Passionflower tea works by increasing Gamma-aminobutyric acid ( GABA ). GABA is an amino acid which helps in reducing brain activity and so relaxing your body

Almond 

Almonds are rich in magnesium. magnesium has fund to be useful in sleeping disorders. Magnesium helps in increasing the GABA receptors about which the importance is given above. An handful of almonds before sleep might help!

Taking care of yourselves is your own responsibility. Having cheat days a few times in month is okay. But making no sleep a lifestyle is harmful to your physical, social, and mental well being.

I hope this tips prove helpful to you!

Sleep well and stay healthy!

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