How to have high-quality sleep? Do these things and you will have sweet dreams!

It is very important to form good sleeping habits. Good sleeping habits and a comfortable sleeping environment can not only help people fall asleep peacefully, but also improve sleep quality.

If you sleep in an environment with noisy sounds, flickering lights and an uneven mattress, just imagining this situation can make you feel that you can't fall asleep. Therefore, a good sleeping environment is very important.

So what kind of environment is a good sleeping environment?

Many people believe that as long as the bedding is comfortable and the environment is quiet, they will be able to fall asleep peacefully. In fact, it is not only these factors that are conducive to falling asleep, a comfortable sleeping temperature is also essential. I wonder if you have ever had the feeling that if you don’t have a way to keep warm or cool down in winter or summer, you will be too cold or too hot to fall asleep at night! Therefore, studies have shown that a cool and pleasant indoor temperature (23°C is best) can shorten the sleep latency and maximize the slow-wave sleep time. Therefore, in a colder or hotter environment, heating or air conditioning is a more important configuration. However, when using heating or air conditioning, you must pay attention to maintaining appropriate environmental humidity and preventing "air-conditioning disease" [1].

In addition, the light environment is also one of the important factors that affect sleep. Therefore, the light in the sleeping environment should be as dim as possible. It is best to maintain a dark sleeping environment, which can promote the secretion of melatonin and facilitate sleep [2]. As mentioned above, comfortable bedding (such as a bed with appropriate hardness, a suitable pillow and pillow height, a dry and clean quilt, etc.) and a quiet environment are also essential.

After having a comfortable sleeping environment, good sleeping habits are also a necessary factor. Some people often feel that they are more tired after a night's sleep than without sleep, and wake up with back pain and stiff neck. This is caused by bad sleeping habits. Over time, it will not only cause poor sleep quality, but may also cause some waist and neck diseases! So what are good sleeping habits?

First, a proper sleeping position.

Our sleeping positions are usually varied, such as lying down, lying prone, curled up, etc. In fact, studies have shown that sleeping on your back is good for the health of your spine and neck. Of course, sleeping on your side may be more suitable for people who snore. Sleeping on your stomach must be corrected in time because it can easily compress the heart and lungs and affect the development of the spine. Curling up into a ball is particularly detrimental to spinal health and should also be corrected in time [3].

In addition, healthy eating habits and being too hungry or too full before going to bed are not conducive to falling asleep. Some people stop eating after noon in order to lose weight, which makes them hungry during sleep time. Or some people overeat before going to bed and even feel bloated in the abdomen when going to bed. These will seriously affect sleep, and more importantly, it will affect physical health. Therefore, do not over-diet or overeat!

Secondly, you should get enough sleep, don’t go to bed too late, and don’t get insufficient sleep.

The Ministry of Education has proposed the “three times”, namely that primary school students, junior high school students, and high school students should sleep for 10 hours, 9 hours, and 8 hours respectively [4]. Studies have also shown that 10:00-11:00 p.m. is the golden time to fall asleep and is most beneficial to health [5]. Of course, for adults, individual differences in sleep time are relatively large. Some people only need 6-7 hours of sleep to be energetic and highly efficient, but some people may need 9-10 hours to ensure quality of life and work efficiency. In this case, sleep time can vary from person to person, but it should be kept in mind to ensure energy and efficiency [6].

Finally, soaking your feet before going to bed, drinking a glass of hot milk before going to bed, moderate exercise in daily life, and listening to some soothing music to help you sleep before going to bed are all good habits that help you sleep.

If you have trouble falling asleep or have poor sleep quality, don't be too anxious. In fact, the more anxious you are, the more you will have trouble sleeping. Try to empty yourself and relax. If you have persistent insomnia, you should seek help from a doctor in time. Finally, I wish you all a good sleep!

References

[1] Li Zhihui, Zhang Ziyan, Huang Xiaomei, et al. Research progress on the effects of environmental physical factors on sleep[J]. Journal of Environment and Health, 2019, 36(3): 5.

[2] Li Yuekang. Improve bedroom environment and sleep quality[J]. Family Medicine. Happy Health, 2018) 8): 60.

[3] Shi Yujie. Can changing sleep habits relieve neck and shoulder pain? [J]. Family Medicine, 2021 (9): 30.

[4] Qing Mu, Zhang Xueting. How do countries ensure students get enough sleep? [N]. Global Times, 2021-12-27 (013).

[5] News from this journal. European Heart Journal: 10pm to 11pm is the “golden time to fall asleep” and is most beneficial to heart health [J]. Everyone’s Health, 2021 (23): 9.

[6] Do you need to sleep 8 hours a day to be healthy? [J]. Popular Science (Middle School Students), 2021(12): 29.