Today, many people are sleep deprived and find it hard to enjoy quality sleep. Sleep is vital for your well-being. Let’s explore this aspect further.
Sleep creates a strong impact in striking a balance between your mind and body.
Why do you need sleep?
The whole day, you do various mental and physical activities, which cause changes in the body. A chemical called lactic acid is produced in your body. It keeps increasing throughout the day. This acid needs to be reduced. If it’s not reduced, you feel tired, irritated and less tolerant. Sleep is an easy way to reduce the level of lactic acid.
Why is lactic acid produced in the body?
Many issues happen during the day, which are not as per your liking or interest, which may cause stress. In such situations, there is a slight contraction of blood vessels. This leads to insufficient oxygen supply to the muscles, and improper metabolism. This further leads to the production of lactic acid, from glucose.
Also, many unresolved issues happen during the day, which need to be resolved. These cannot be resolved when you’re in an awakened state, and so, they are resolved in dreams. You may not remember the dreams, but unresolved matters of the day are resolved in dreams, while you sleep. Then, you feel fresh, the next day. Dreams are an effective means to resolve mental conflicts. They also sub consciously fulfil your unfulfilled desires.
Why are you not able to sleep?
Sleep is a natural process. The main reasons behind not being able to sleep are – anxiety, worries or tension. There is a sleep center in the hypothalamus, which you need to activate. As soon as it’s activated, you’re able to sleep. To activate it, you need to detach from your worries and tensions.
Your mind needs to slow down before sleeping, and you need to learn the art of slowing down the mind. The more you pay attention during the day, the easier it becomes at night.
More reasons behind not being able to sleep early:
Sleeping during the day. If you have slept for two hours during the day, then there is a possibility that you may not be able to sleep early at night.
Tea or Coffee. Taking these stimulants in the evening also delays sleep.
People complain that they have not been able to sleep for months. It starts with only one day when you were not able to sleep, and for some reason you’re not able to sleep on the second day too. There are thoughts created on the third day like “I may not be able to sleep today, too.” This causes a subtle stress and then this becomes your habit of not sleeping at nights.
What is the long term impact of less sleep on your body?
Lactic acid will not get reduced. This causes neurotic symptoms such as anxiety, stress and nervousness.
Restore metabolism. All the catabolic processes that occurred during the day need to be restored. If there is lack of sleep, catabolism will keep increasing, which will damage your body organs. Also, your ability to concentrate, capacity to recall and tolerance will reduce.
What is the impact of today’s lifestyle on sleep?
These days, you sleep late and then wake up late. Or, you have no fixed time to wake up during the weekends and holidays. This is not healthy. You should always try to sleep on time. If by chance, you sleep late, still wake up at the same time in the morning. Your body is used to the wake up time, because of the biological clock.
For example if your body is used to waking up at 6 am, then wake up at 6 am everyday. If by chance, you slept late, then too wake up at 6 am. Waking up late, say at 9 am, will not help you feel fresh. You will feel tired, instead. Waking up at the same time, you may feel tired as soon as you wake up, but once you bathe and get ready, you will feel fresh. Then, after 4 to 5 hours, if needed, take a short nap of 20 minutes.
What is the best time to sleep at night?
It is best to go to sleep by 10 PM. The sleep quality between 10 PM to 2 AM is quite deep and refreshing. Body restoration is adequate. Good quality sleep during this time will help you significantly in gaining freshness
What is the impact of sleeping well?
Mind and brain get good amount of rest
Energy levels improve
Solve difficult tasks in life, easily
Creativity increases
Tolerance improves
Health improves
What are some tips to experience deep and quality sleep?
Balance: Ensure that your sleep time is roughly fixed.
Sleep only when you feel sleepy.
Have a lifestyle such that you’re moderately tired during the day – not totally exhausted, nor not tired at all.
Have your dinner at least two hours before going to bed.
If required, take half a cup of milk before bed time. Milk contains tryptophan, which promotes sleep.
Rice also contains tryptophan, so having rice for dinner may also help.
Don’t lie on bed and read. Read on a table. Go to bed only when you feel sleepy.
Have a fixed place for sleeping.
The temperature in the room should be comfortable.
Wash your hands and legs with warm water to increase blood circulation in the limbs. This will reduce the blood circulation in the brain, which will help in sleeping.
Read something positive before going to bed. This helps in slowing down the mind.
Write a small note, addressing all the issues that happened during the day. Don’t think about the situations. Think what your response was, and what could have been your response. This helps clear the blockages in your mind.
Write a letter to God.
Meditate before sleeping.
Have a right position to sleep – either right side or left side — whichever is comfortable to you.
Think “it is time to sleep, now I am relaxed, I am calm, I am peaceful,” etc. That is, create thoughts on rest. Patients who suffer from insomnia are told that they don’t need sleep, they need rest. Once the sleep centre of the brain is activated, you’d able to sleep automatically.
– Photo by Marcus Aurelius from Pexels
