When was the last time you got a good quality of sleep at night? Sleep is one of the basic human needs that must be properly fulfilled . However, many of us cannot fulfil the hours of sleep we need each day due to difficulty falling asleep.
Lack of sleep is linked to not only short-term effects such as fatigue and irritability but also long-term health risks such as heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Therefore, it is important to understand how to get better quality sleep and rest. Some of the tips below will help you identify what you need to sleep better. Keep on reading this article if you want to know more!
Why Do People Have Difficulty Sleeping?
Mental condition is one of the common factors that affect a person’s sleep pattern. There is a condition called sleep anxiety where we feel anxious as we are getting ready to sleep. When you have sleep anxiety, thoughts like these suddenly pops in our head :
- “Will I be able to wake up at this certain hour?”
- “I don’t think I will get a good night’s sleep tonight.”
- “What will happen when I wake up tomorrow morning?”
Those anxious thoughts then prevent us from sleeping and lead to poor sleep quality. In addition, difficulty sleeping can lead to negative changes in our mental health, and negative mental health conditions can also worsen sleep problems. It’s truly a crazy cycle.
Read more: Revenge Bedtime Procrastination – Why We Keep Postponing Sleep
How To Improve Your Quality of Sleep
Here are some tips that can help you to get good enough quality of sleep:
1. Exercise
It is not only beneficial for our physical health, but regular exercise also affects the quality of our sleep. Exercise helps to increase melatonin, which is a hormone that plays a role in causing sleepiness and regulating natural sleep rhythms (circadian rhythm).
But keep in mind, don’t exercise right before bed, KALMers. When you exercise, your body temperature will increase. As a result, you will have difficulty sleeping because your metabolism is at a high level. If you want to exercise at night, you should do it at least 3 hours before bedtime as a break to lower your body temperature.
2. Avoid Caffeine Intake
Besides melatonin, there is another chemical called adenosine in the brain that causes drowsiness. As long as we are awake, the body will continue to produce adenosine until finally at an appropriate level, we become sleepy. The content of caffeine that comes from food or drink works by blocking the passage of this adenosine. So consuming caffeine-containing drinks in the afternoon/evening can worsen sleep quality. Remember KALMers, caffeine can also be contained in tea, soft drinks, chocolate and other foods or drinks – not just coffee.
3. Turn Off Your Gadget
Being on your phone or watching television too close to bedtime can make it harder for us to relax. Therefore, gadget time should be regulated and limited to a certain hour before bedtime. You can make a schedule when you can relax to play with gadgets at night, and when it’s time to go bed. After your gadget time, you can turn it off so it won’t disturb you while sleeping.
4. Night Routine
A regular night routine can help you get ready for rest every night. A night routine that can be done is in the form of taking a bath, reading a book, or practicing meditation just before going to bed. If you do this routine every night, it will help you regulate your sleep mood.
5. Optimize Your Bedroom Environment
Regulating sleep mood by adjusting the bedroom environment has also been shown to have an effect on sleep quality. Some tips that can be applied are limiting the use of the bed to only sleeping, adjusting the lighting in the room, and using aromatherapy if needed.
What do you think, KALMers? Have you gotten enough sleep at night?
Read more: When is the Right and Best Time to Do Counseling?
If you feel like you are having trouble sleeping on an ongoing basis and need professional help, don’t hesitate to ask for help from the closest person or professional help, KALMers! Kalmselor will help you find a suitable way to solve your problem. Download the KALM App (here) to connect online with professional Kalmselors.
Written by: Dzulfani S Nisa
Translated by: Dzulfani S Nisa
Edited by: Rachma Fitria & Lukas Limanjaya
Source:
Cherry, K. (2020, February 21). How Does Sleep Affect Mental Health?. Very Well Mind. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/how-sleep-affects-mental-health-4783067
Drake, C., Roehrs, T., Shambroom, J., & Roth T. (2013). Caffeine effects on sleep taken 0, 3, or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal Clinic Sleep Med, 9(11), 1195-200
Gillihan, S. (2018, March 13). For the Best Sleep, Less Time in Bed Can Be More. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-be/201803/the-best-sleep-less-time-in-bed-can-be-more
Harvard Health. (2021, September 30). 8 secrets to a good night’s sleep. Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/8-secrets-to-a-good-nights-sleep
Mawer, R. (2020, February 28). 17 Proven Tips to Sleep Better at Night. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-tips-to-sleep-better
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