Sleep has endless benefits and no human can function properly without getting appropriate amounts of sleep. There is no single organ in the human body that isn’t affected by the lack of sleep. Sleep helps to regulate blood pressure, relieve tiredness, replenish lost energy and helps to keep the immune system strong among many other benefits. Apart from the physical aspects, sleep also has a very strong role to play in keeping our mental capabilities intact. During sleep, our brain processes thoughts, stores new memories/experiences, improves emotional responses and optimises brain-body co-ordination.

There is a sleep endemic eating away at people in modern society. More and more people are sleep deprived for all sorts of reasons. The recommended 8 hours of sleep a bight has become a luxury for many people. This lack of quality sleep has caused an increase in the rate of diseases such as kidney problems, heart attacks, stroke and high blood pressure. Mentally, the lack of sleep causes a reduction in motor function, foggy memory and slower thought processing. According to some studies, less than four hours of sleep per night has no health benefits to the human body and might lead to diseases such as anxiety, paranoia, depression among many other mental and physical disorders.

These are a few things that you can do to establish healthy sleeping patterns:

Have a Regular Sleeping Schedule

Try to follow a regular sleeping pattern. Wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day. Doing so primes your body to induce sleep at a regular time. Melatonin is the sleep hormone that our body secretes about six hours before our sleep time. If you have a regular sleeping pattern, your body will start producing Melatonin at the same time each day.

Prepare Early

Don’t just wait for sleep to come, instead prepare for a good night’s sleep 30 minutes to 1 hour before your intended sleep time. Wear loose and airy clothes, turn off lights and put your mobile on night-mode. Doing all these things beforehand signals your body to start preparing for sleep.

Avoid Daytime Naps

Avoid daytime naps . Taking a short nap or just laying down on your back for 15 minutes is fine but don’t sleep for 3 hours in the afternoon. Doing so will disturb your night sleep schedule.

Be Active During the Day

If you exercise during the day, your body will likely be tired and you will have a much easier time falling asleep. If you don’t spend enough energy during the day, your body will store this energy and you won’t be able to sleep at night. Countless studies have repeatedly demonstrated the benefits of a good night’s sleep.

Avoid Stimulants

Try to limit your caffeine intake during the evening as caffeine is a stimulant which disturbs the natural sleep cycle. If you smoke, try to quit because the nicotine in the cigarettes is also a stimulant.

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Following these tips will help you to improve your sleep pattern, which in turn will help you in countless other ways. Good Night!