{"id":12173,"date":"2019-12-20T04:06:53","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T09:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internsdc.com\/?p=12173"},"modified":"2019-12-20T04:06:53","modified_gmt":"2019-12-20T09:06:53","slug":"surprising-facts-on-sleep-and-how-to-get-enough-zzzs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/surprising-facts-on-sleep-and-how-to-get-enough-zzzs\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprising Facts on Sleep and How to Get Enough ZZZs"},"content":{"rendered":"

“The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.”… W. C. Fields<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When you\u2019re starting out in you career, or\u00a0still in school, sleep may seem like a distant memory. However, sleep is essential for your\u00a0body to regroup so you can learn and retain new information the next day. Here are some surprising facts on sleep and ways to get enough of it.<\/p>\n

With all the distractions of social life, devices and things to do, many people can’t sleep. But there’s hope!\u00a0Your brain is trainable. All it takes is a little discipline.<\/p>\n

\"Facts<\/h2>\n

Limit your nap time<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re up half the night studying, and have an 8 a.m. class, then a nap is in your future\u00a0in the afternoon. However, limit how long your naps are.\u00a0Aim for an early afternoon snooze for no more than\u00a020 minutes \u2013 this is the optimal time to recharge the body without feeling groggy when you wake up or not being able to get to sleep that night.<\/p>\n

Stop worrying, start writing<\/h2>\n

\"FactsIf your mind is racing with things to do, or things you want to say to someone, there’s no way you’ll fall asleep. Instead of tossing and turning, keep a pen and paper next to your bed. Write down the things you need to do, or write a letter to someone you want to say something to. Getting your thoughts out of your head and onto paper keeps you from worrying about trying to remember it, sort of like the Pensieve.<\/p>\n

Keep a regular sleep schedule<\/h2>\n

Yes, this includes weekends. Although it can be great to catch some extra zzz\u2019s on a Sunday morning after staying up into the wee hours of the night on Saturday. But it\u2019ll throw off your schedule during the week, and you\u2019ll crash. Even getting up\u00a0just a couple of hours of\u00a0when you normally have to get up during the week will help. You can train your body. Once your body has a reliable schedule, it will know exactly when to fall asleep and wake up without you having to force it to.<\/p>\n

Eat less at night<\/h2>\n

According to Ayurvedic medicine, lunch should be your biggest meal of the day. Your digestion is slower at night, and it\u2019s harder to digest foods, so you may be kept up at night with heartburn or indigestion. What\u2019s more, if you continually eat big meals and snack into the wee hours of the night, you\u2019re likely to put on pounds, which also contributes to poor sleeping and snoring. Stop eating after 8 p.m. or a couple of hours before you go to bed. For dinner, avoid rich, filling foods and stick to healthy light foods, such as a soup, vegetables and healthy snacks. (Hot tea and warm foods are also great).<\/p>\n

\"Sleep-facts-turn-off-the-blue-light\"<\/h2>\n

Control your exposure to light<\/h2>\n

Light is an enormous playing part when it comes to sleep. Just look at how the moon and the sun play roles in light. During the day, try to get as much sunshine as you can, and expose yourself to bright light in the morning. At night, limit your light time. Especially\u00a0blue light like on your computer or phone\u2014it\u2019s keeping you up.<\/p>\n

Avoid anything with a screen 2\u00a0hours before bed. This one’s not easy, but at least turn down the computer\u2019s light, or turn off the blue light\u2014 some tech products now have controls over that. Instead of messing with your devices, try reading a book or writing, and drinking warm tea. This is a much more natural way to go to sleep than binge watching Netflix into the wee hours of the night.<\/p>\n

Get regular exercise<\/h2>\n

Studies show that regular exercisers sleep better and feel less sleepy during the day. It can also improve symptoms of insomnia and sleep apnea, resulting in more restorative sleep. If you cringe at the thought of going to the gym or running, start a daily walking routine. Walking has been shown to be extremely beneficial for physical and mental wellbeing. Walk to work, walk during lunch hour, or spend an hour walking instead of playing video games everyday.<\/p>\n

\"Sleep-facts--Turn-off-the-Lights\"<\/h2>\n

Wind down in\u00a0the evening<\/h2>\n

For someone who has insomnia or is a night owl, trying to get yourself to go to sleep earlier may cause anxiety. Instead of worrying, it\u2019s best to just start some healthy, natural practices that will automatically get your body in sleeping mode. This can include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • reading a book<\/li>\n
  • taking a warm bath or shower<\/li>\n
  • drinking tea (yes, tea again, but no caffeine!)<\/li>\n
  • doing some simple stretches (just YouTube bedtime yoga)<\/li>\n
  • dim the lights<\/li>\n
  • make simple preparations for the day ahead so you\u2019re not worried about it<\/li>\n
  • listen to soft music<\/li>\n
  • meditate or try deep breathing or relaxation techniques<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Prep your room for optimal sleep<\/h2>\n

    Factors such as light, temperature and clutter all can have major effects on sleep. An ideal environment to sleep in is a cool, dark room. The ideal temperature is 60-68 degrees, as your body temperature starts to drop gradually as part of your natural sleep cycle. Turn off electric devices, and install window coverings if you wake up easy from the sunlight in the morning (however, this can also be a nice way to wake up if you go to bed early enough).<\/p>\n

    Keep the noise down \u2013 if you have noisy roommates, invest in a white noise fan or sleep machine, or buy earplugs. And lastly, only use your bed for two things: sleep and sex. It should not be used as an office, hangout or dining room table. Treating your bedroom as a sleep sanctuary will train your mind to recognize it’s time for sleep.<\/p>\n

    Even making your bed in the morning sets up your body for sleep when you get in it that night.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"Sleep-facts--Quote-on-Sleep\"<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    “The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.”… W. C. Fields When you\u2019re starting out in you career, or\u00a0still in school, sleep may seem like a distant memory. However, sleep is essential for your\u00a0body to regroup so you can learn and retain new information the next day. Here are some surprising […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internship-opportunities","category-life-hacks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}