In this fast growing modern world, in order to be more productive, people usually compromise with their sleep schedule. They are not getting the amount of sleep which they should take. In this blog we will highlight such issues and also discuss some methods which help people to improve their quality of sleep.
Before going deep inside the topic, the most important thing one should understand is the basic need of sleep, why is sleep so important for our health. Sleep is the complex process which plays a crucial role in the proper body and mind functioning. There are two types of sleep, first is REM, Rapid Eye Movement sleep. This helps in maintaining brain health, improves a person’s capability to think and also helps in emotional management. Second type is NREM that is Non- Rapid Eye Movement sleep, it is further subcategories among 3 stages that are, Stage 1 This is the initial stages of sleep, that last for few minutes only. Stage 2 in this stage body undergoes partial sleeping phase, during this time the body starts relaxing and brain activity slows down. Stage 3 is the last stage where the body undergoes deep sleeping conditions. This is the most important stage because during this time our body goes under the restoration process.
Let’s discuss some sleep disorders in brief. In insomnia disorder, a person faces difficulty in sleeping even if they want to sleep. This affects their overall health, they are not able to work with concentrations, some people face problems with memory also. In restless legs syndrome, people feel an uncomfortable sensation in their legs which disrupts their sleep. Sleep Apnea causes a person to feel difficulty in breathing, their breath stops frequently and then starts which causes loud snoring. Parasomnias are the condition in which a person is in a partial sleeping stage, like, they walk while sleeping, they start doing anything in their sleeping condition which leads others to get scared seeing them doing such things. In Narcolepsy people get sleep attacks, they sleep too much in day time that eventually affect their day to day activities. Circadian Rhythm Sleep disorder is the condition in which there is misalignment between the external and internal clock, that is a person does not have any fixed time to sleep they can sleep anytime. Its diagnosis consists of a physical examination involving the sessions in which professionals record the events which a patient does while sleeping to analyze what kind of disorder they are having, medical history of the patient to check whether they are on any kind of medications or not. Proper diagnosis and treatment of such disorders are necessary before they reach their severe limits.
Problems due to sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation has both short and long term effects, short term effects include problems with memory and concentration, people who do not take proper sleep face difficulty in making decisions, because they are unable to calm their mind and put it in one place. Such people have many mood swings and keep on irritating on small things and this results in increasing their stress level. Chronic disorders like, poor malfunctioned immune system, heart diseases, diabetes etc are some long term effects of sleep deprivation. If this issue is ignored and remains untreated for a longer period of time, then it results in various mental disorders such as overthinking, depression and anxiety.
Steps to improve the quality of sleep
- Start with making a proper schedule, be particular with timing, go to bed on the time daily which you have decided and wake up on time, ensuring you are taking a minimum 7 to 8 hours sleep.
- Never engage yourself in stressful activities before going to bed, try to do some relaxing activities, be calm, It will help you to get good sleep. You can try calm music, warm water baths as well as meditation. All these activities help you to reach your goal.
- Ensure that the mattress and pillow is soft and comfortable to sleep.
- Do not stick to mobile phones before going to bed, take some breaks with them. as many studies have shown that blue light from electronic devices disrupts the production of hormones.
- The most important thing you should take care of is your diet, avoid caffeine, and do not take heavy meals before going to sleep. These all things can act as a hindrance between you and sleep.
Conclusion
Sleep plays a vital role in our lives. It helps us to get relieved from the stress we go through the whole day. It gives our body a fresh start for the next day. Prioritizing sleep is not a difficult task which one cannot do, it is the necessity for getting good overall well-being, and to keep our body free from all kinds of diseases.
