5 BEDTIME HABITS YOU SHOULD ADOPT FOR A BETTER NIGHT’S SLEEP

Your brain releases melatonin before you sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that reduces alertness and helps to make you sleepy. Light can hamper your brain releasing melatonin.

Many of us now cannot do without their electronic devices. This includes using them to check emails or chat with friends right before we go to bed, even when your bedroom lights have been switched off. However, using electronics before bed can have an adverse impact on your sleep.

Our electronics emit blue light. According to researchers at the National Academy of Science³, if enough blue light enters our eyes, the pineal gland can stop producing melatonin. This effect is larger when the devices are used closer to our eyes. However, if we really cannot do without using our phones before we sleep, there are a few things we can do to reduce its impact:

1. Switch on night mode – this makes your screen turn yellow and less glaring.
2. Dim the screen as much as possible or use the device further away from your face – reducing the amount of blue light that enters your eyes.

Use apps or screen protectors that have inbuilt night settings that reduce blue light on phone screens.

You may have been advised to avoid eating after 8pm every night or to avoid eating a certain number of hours before bedtime. These are usually myths.

What you actually need to do is eat the right amounts of the right kinds of food, especially during dinner. Avoid eating large meals and spicy or acidic foods as they can cause heartburn and indigestion when you’re about to get into bed. You should also reduce your intake of sugary foods and refined sugars such as white bread, white rice and noodle because they can trigger wakefulness. Drinking alcohol and caffeine may also interfere with your sleep cycle as well.

To enjoy a good night’s sleep, consume healthy fats and carbohydrates such as milk, yogurt, bananas, avocado, sweet potato or whole grain. This will ensure you are full enough such that a growling tummy does not keep you up in bed. 

The basic premise of achieving a healthier lifestyle is to ensure you spend time to develop a plan that you can stick to. The trick is not to be over-ambitious at the start, and gradually update or add to your plan when you think you can afford the time and money or see your stamina or strength improving.

Of course, you need to stick to the plan for it to work out.

After doing rigorous physical activities during the day, it is common for many of us to feel exhausted at night. These physical activities tire you out and eventually help you fall asleep faster.

In a study by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine⁶, it was shown that regular physical exercise contributes to better sleep. This also works in a healthy loop where better sleep equates to better results when exercising, and even working or studying.

Besides exercising with the purpose of having a better night’s sleep, we should also exercise with the aim of staying fit and healthy. Having a lifestyle that includes proper rest at night and physical exercise during the day enables us to live a healthier life.