World Sleep Day | Healthy sleep for everyone

World Sleep Day | Healthy sleep for everyone

Tongling Disease Control

World Sleep Day is celebrated on March 21 every year

World Sleep Day 2024

The theme of China is “Healthy sleep for everyone”

Sleep is a physiological need of human beings. As a necessary process of life, sleep is an important part of the body's recovery, integration and consolidation of memory, and is an indispensable part of health.

1. The importance of sleep

1. Life needs: Sleep is an absolutely necessary and indispensable life need for everyone. Although sleep is so important to everyone, different people have different needs for sleep. Generally, women need more sleep than men.

2. Growth needs: Sleep is a nutrient for human growth. Sleep is a cyclical physiological phenomenon and an important aspect of human life activities. Sleep, like exercise and diet, is an important nutrient to ensure the growth and development of the body. Without adequate sleep, the body's energy accumulation, brain rest, brain function protection, body immunity, and disease resistance will be damaged.

3. The basis of health: Humans, like many creatures in nature, follow the natural law of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, so that the body can rest and recover to ensure the next day's activities.

2. Reasons for poor sleep

1. Environmental reasons: A common reason is a sudden change in the sleeping environment.

2. Individual factors: bad living habits, such as drinking tea, coffee, smoking before going to bed, etc.

3. Physical reasons: Broadly speaking, any physical discomfort can lead to insomnia.

4. Mental factors: including opportunistic insomnia caused by excitement and anxiety caused by a special event.

5. Emotional factors: Loss of control over emotions can cause changes in mood, which are especially manifested when emotions are unstable. It can be caused by certain unexpected events, such as special happy events or special sadness, anger, etc., which can lead to insomnia. This kind of insomnia caused by unexpected events is just a phenomenon, which may be accidental and temporary; while more serious insomnia is a long-term phenomenon of poor sleep. Their emotions are continuously in a low state, and tension, fear, worry, suspicion, anger, hatred, depression, anxiety and other emotions not only occupy their sensory organs during the day, but also cannot be stopped at night.

3. Methods that help you sleep

1. Don't be too concerned about the amount of sleep. The amount of sleep required varies from person to person and from age to age. The younger you are, the more sleep you need. As you age, your sleep will gradually decrease. A person does not have to sleep 8 or 7 hours a day. The normal amount of sleep should be enough to relieve fatigue, maintain a happy spirit, and be able to work and study well for the day. On the contrary, if you are too concerned about the amount of sleep, you will often feel uneasy because of half an hour less sleep, which will only be harmful to a good night's sleep.

2. Relax yourself. Avoid stimulating work and entertainment before going to bed, and do not engage in overly intense mental activities. This can also better avoid mania. Do more activities that can relax your body and mind, such as taking a hot bath, reading some recreational books and newspapers, watching relaxing TV programs, and listening to soft and emotional light music, which will undoubtedly be very helpful for people to fall asleep as soon as possible.

3. Create a good sleeping environment. The impact of the environment on sleep is obvious. The macro environment is difficult to change, but changing the micro environment can still make a big difference. The light in the sleeping area should be dim, and thick curtains or blinds should be used in the bedroom to block the light from the outside. If there is a lot of noise outside, be sure to close the doors and windows when sleeping. In addition, comfortable bedding is also very beneficial to improving the quality of sleep. Choose pillows that are highly ergonomic, mattresses with appropriate hardness and softness, and bedding that does not cause discomfort, such as sheets and quilts, so that sleep will not be affected by various discomforts.

4. Let the bed only play the function of sleeping. Don't let the bed become your place of study or work. Lying on the bed to read books or newspapers, or talking about exciting topics will weaken the direct connection between the bed and sleep. A good sleeper can often fall asleep as soon as his head touches the pillow. This is because he has only let the bed play the single function of sleeping for a long time, so that a conditioned reflex is formed.

5. Pay attention to eating habits. Don't eat too much for dinner or go to bed on an empty stomach. Both of these situations will affect your sleep. Eating some dairy products or drinking a glass of wine before going to bed will help you sleep. Don't drink a lot of alcoholic beverages before going to bed, including beer and other alcoholic drinks. They can certainly help you fall asleep, but they will affect the quality of sleep; when the calming effect of alcohol is over, you will wake up immediately. In addition, coffee, tea, cola drinks and chocolate can excite the brain nerves of the human body, so it is best not to drink them before going to bed.