Tips for sound sleeping
Cairo might be boisterous by day but there’s no slouching at night either. Distractions are a plenty at all hours, and night owls can always find something to do. However the full effect of Cairo can often lead to stress; and this stress may be the reason Cairenes increasingly find it difficult to sleep at night.
According to Psychology Today, sleep or lack of it has an effect on everything we do during the day. It also affects our memory, stamina, health and of course, our mood.
It’s not a stretch for any of us to realize that how we are on any particular day depends on how much shuteye we had the night before.
The sleeping cycle in the body is regulated by two systems, Pyschology Today continues. First is the sleep homeostat, which is the drive that leads one to sleep. A homeostatic pressure builds up in the body during wakefulness and is discharged during sleep.
The second system is the circadian rhythm, which is what ties us to the cycles of day and night. This is done through sensors on the retina which sends signals to the brain about whether it’s daytime or night time.
When these two systems are out of sync, those sleepless nights are a coming.
However there are a few things one can do to alleviate tossing and turning at night.
One thing that matters more and more in this work-oriented world – do not use your pc or laptop before you go to sleep. Computer screens have the same effect on our eye as sunlight, and will trick your body into thinking it is daytime.
Stanford University has also come up with many tips in sleep hygiene to help one sleep better. Simply, don’t get into bed unless you are sleepy. The less time awake in bed: the better.
If you can’t sleep within 20 minutes then get out of bed and do something boring until you do get sleepy. However, don’t open the lights, stay in the dark. The lights will give your brain cues that it’s time to wake up.
Ritual is king, so try and sleep and wake up at the same times every day. Even on weekends. Once you get into a regular rhythm your body will get used to it. By the same token, do not use your bed for anything but sleep. Don’t read on it, or watch TV while lying on it. But fret not; sex is the only exception to this.
Common belief that a hot bath before bed will help you get to sleep is actually true. The drop in body temperature after a hot bath will make you drowsy, so try and get one an hour and a half before bedtime.
Obviously, stay away from stimulants at least four hours before bed. Caffeine is a major culprit as is nicotine and alcohol. So coffee, tea, chocolate and the like are out.
Additionally, sleeplessness is often an indicator of depression, rather than insomnia.
Often, people stay up at night worrying about one thing or another, which leads to a cycle of sleeplessness as the days go by and they got locked in that rhythm. Trying some of those tips might alleviate that.
However if all this doesn’t float your boat, you can take solace from a study conducted by the University of California, San Diego and the American Cancer Society that showed that people who slept less tended to have a lower death rate.
People who sleep eight hours a night or more have a higher death rate than people who sleep between six or seven hours.
They could not explain the reasons behind this.
