Like all humans in the world, you are probably always looking for ways to be more healthy, live a more efficient life, and give your best on every day. With good health, anything seems possible. Here’s where sleeps comes into the picture.
Why do you need to sleep long and well? Does white noise help you? How do you manage to work if you’re sleepy? How can you sleep better at night? These are a few questions that we’ll answer here today. Read on, give sleep the importance it deserves, and live a healthy life!
1. Why Do You Need 8 Hours Of Sleep?
Before we delve deeper, remember that 8 hours is only a benchmark. Some people wake up feeling refreshed after just 7 hours while others need 9 – so 8 is just an average of sorts. If you are able to wake up refreshed and not feel the need to sleep again in the middle of the day, your sleep schedule is perfect for you.
When you sleep, your brain processes all of the days experiences and sorts them into short-term and long-term memory. It is also the time to process all things, good and bad, that have happened in the day and store them away. If you have ever binge-watched Netflix, you know how you tend to have dreams about the show. This is because the brain is trying to process what you have seen and heard that day.
Give it long enough and your body and mind relax. Physiologically, 8 hours of sleep will even reduce the risk of heart disease and related death.1
2. Is White Noise Good Or Bad For You?
If someone tells you that white noise is great for falling asleep, be sure to ask which kind. Some noise components, such as the continuous, low drum of a motor or high-intensity sounds can actually interrupt sleep. However, the white noise from a cooling fan, or a device specifically made for that purpose for infants, can actually help you fall asleep more quickly and soundly.
In some people, as soon as the sound stops, they wake up.2 White noise that mimics the sounds of nature has shown to help people who have undergone major surgery fall asleep soundly and also recover faster.3
3. Can You Distract Yourself From Sleeping?
We all have a pattern of sleeping and waking up. Some of us fall asleep quite quickly in a certain time window. Now, sleep is a process that is closely regulated by hormones. It isn’t something that we can distract ourselves from. Indeed, it may be possible to have a cup of coffee and put off the inevitable for a while, but we are not designed to be able to fully control when we sleep and when we feel drowsy.
This is especially important for people who drive after a long night out or across long distances. It is very easy to fall asleep when we repeat the same activity for a long time. And no amount of blaring music or wind in the face can stop us from feeling drowsy. If you feel drowsy when driving, it is best to stop at a driveway and take a short nap.4
4. Which Foods Can Help You Sleep?
Yes, there is such a thing! Nuts like almonds and walnuts are not just healthy, they contain melatonin that can assist you to fall asleep. A cup of relaxing, caffeine-free tea such as chamomile and ginger, or a generous cup of warm milk are excellent tonics for sleep. Foods rich in lean protein contain tryptophan, an essential amino acid, that also aids sleep.5
Sleep patterns, routines, and habits form a vast, complicated topic that could take years to decipher completely. Imbibe these few into your life and sleep well and tight every day.
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