【World Sleep Day】How can we get a good night’s sleep?

· March 21 World Sleep Day·

March 21, 2023 is "World Sleep Day" and the theme this year is "Healthy Mind, Good Sleep". According to the World Health Organization, about 27% of people worldwide have sleep disorders, and more than 300 million people in my country have sleep problems. After Yang, sleep problems are even more common. So, how can we get a good night's sleep?

1. What are the elements of quality sleep?

A: There are four elements, namely:

1. Duration: The duration of sleep should be enough for the sleeper to rest and feel alert the next day.

2. Continuity: Sleep time should be seamless and without fragmentation.

3. Depth: Sleep should be deep enough to restore health.

4. Sleep duration: Different ages have slightly different physiological requirements for sleep.

(1) Adults> 6.5 hours

(2) Children and adolescents > 8 hours

(3) Preschool children > 10 hours

Many people believe that the longer the sleep time, the better it is for the body. In fact, this is not true. The length of sleep required by each person varies, and the main criterion is whether you can maintain physical strength and energy after waking up the next day.

2. What are the symptoms of insomnia?

Answer: Remember: 3 30 points, namely:

1. Difficulty falling asleep: The latency period for falling asleep in adults is >30 minutes; for children, the latency period for falling asleep is >20 minutes.

2. Early awakening: usually refers to waking up 30 minutes earlier than the expected time. The judgment of early awakening needs to take into account the usual bedtime.

3. Difficulty maintaining sleep: Waking up more than twice at night and taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep again is called difficulty maintaining sleep.

If you experience one or more of the above three situations for more than 3 days a week for 1 month, and it affects your daily life and work, you should consider insomnia. Occasional poor sleep does not mean insomnia.

3. How to achieve healthy sleep?

Answer: Pay attention to the following 7 steps

1. Improve the environment: Adjust the temperature of the bedroom to a suitable state. Overheating or overcooling is not conducive to sleep. Keep the indoor environment quiet, including the lights in the living room. Keep them as dim as possible. Turn off the lights when sleeping. The pillow should be of moderate hardness and height, and the bedding should be comfortable.

2. Regular work and rest: determine the time to go to bed and get up. For example, go to bed before 11 o'clock and get up before 7 o'clock in the morning. Avoid excessive use of electronic products, avoid staying up at night, not getting up during the day, and eating lunch as breakfast.

3. Eat in moderation: You can drink hot milk and eat some bread before going to bed, but remember not to drink coffee or tea at night; being too full or too hungry will affect your sleep.

4. Get more sun during the day and participate in outdoor activities appropriately. At night, you can soak your feet, take a hot bath, etc. to make your sleep more comfortable.

5. Adjust your mood: Most insomnia is related to personality and emotions that are easily stimulated by the outside world. You should actively adjust your mood and attitude towards things. Communicate more with friends, do more things you like, and reduce your psychological burden; before going to bed, practice abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or imagine yourself as a soft tofu slice, spread on a plate, relax your body, etc. to relax your emotions.

6. Seven Don’ts

(1) Do not sleep for more than 45 minutes during the day.

(2) Do not drink excessively 4 hours before bedtime and try not to smoke.

(3) Avoid caffeine, including coffee, tea, soda, and chocolate, six hours before bedtime.

(4) Do not eat spicy or high-sugar foods 4 hours before bedtime. It is okay to eat some bread and drink some hot milk before bedtime.

(5) Exercise regularly, but not before bedtime.

(6) Reserve your bed for sleeping; do not use it as an office, workroom, or playroom.

(7) Don’t count sheep if you can’t sleep! In foreign languages, the word sheep is pronounced the same as the word sleep, but when translated into Chinese, it is no longer a homophone. If you want to count, just count “sleep, sleep, sleep”.

7. See a doctor. If you have not achieved the expected results after self-adjustment, remember to go to a professional medical institution for treatment. Under the guidance of a doctor, you can carry out treatment plans such as drug therapy, psychotherapy, physical therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.

Finally, I wish everyone a healthy mind and good sleep.

Expert Recommendation

Director of the Mental Rehabilitation Center of Shenyang Anning Hospital, Executive Deputy Director of Shenyang Mental Psychological Rehabilitation Clinical Medicine Research Center, Head of Shenyang Psychological Counseling Hotline Studio, Chief Physician, Professor, National Psychotherapist. Distinguished Professor of Shenyang Medical College, Teachers College of Shenyang University, and Liaoning He's Medical College; Member of the Mental Psychology Group of the Sleep Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; Member of the Professional Committee of Elderly Mental Health of the Chinese Mental Health Association; Standing Member of the Psychology Branch of the Chinese Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology; Deputy Group Leader of the Psychological Rehabilitation Science Popularization Professional Group of the Popular Science Health Education Working Committee of the Chinese Medical Education Association; Executive Director of the Liaoning Mental Health Association; Executive Director of the Liaoning Psychological Counselor Association; First Vice Chairman of the Youth Mental Health Professional Committee of the Liaoning Psychological Counselor Industry Association, Vice Chairman of the Shenyang Jing Association; Well-known Health Education Expert in Shenyang, etc. He has been engaged in clinical psychiatry for 33 years and is good at preventing, diagnosing, treating and rehabilitating various mental and psychological disorders with the concept of big rehabilitation and big health. He is especially good at using psychotherapy techniques such as sand tray game therapy, painting psychological analysis and therapy to consult and treat family, marriage and adolescent psychological problems.