Weight loss: Expert reveals 'best sleeping conditions' to burn fat
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There is a lot of advice to be found around improving your quality of sleep, and adopting healthy sleep routines. Everyone needs different amounts of sleep. On average adults need seven to nine hours, while children need nine to 13 hours. Toddlers and babies need 12 to 17 hours of sleep, every day. Many drinks have been lauded for their sleeping properties.
“You probably do not get enough sleep if you’re constantly tired during the day,” states the NHS website.
The health body continues: “Some people are naturally lighter sleepers or take longer to drop off, while some life circumstances might make it more likely for your sleep to be interrupted, like stressful events or having a new baby.”
Sleep Matters Club states: “A godsend in the eyes of the stressed-out and sleep-challenged, lavender has long been known for its sleep-inducing properties.”
It suggests sleep benefits can be achieved from lavender tea.
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Indeed, an academic study published in the journal Hindawi had investigated the impact of lavender odour on people’s quality of sleep.
The single-blind randomised study found lavender improved the mean scores of sleep quality in 15 healthy students, in 64 ischaemic heart disease patients, and in 34 midlife women who had insomnia.
For most, sleep problems tend to sort themselves out within about a month, according to the NHS.
Insomnia – the inability to get to sleep or sleep well at night – can be caused by a number of factors.
The NHS says how we sleep and how much sleep we need is different for all of us and changes as we get older.
If you have insomnia for a short time, less than three months, it’s called short-term insomnia. Insomnia that lasts for three months or longer is called long-term insomnia.
People with insomnia will regularly find it hard to go to sleep, can wake up several times during the night and lie awake at night.
The NHS says: “Most people experience problems with sleep in their life. In fact, it’s thought that a third of Brits will have episodes of insomnia at some point.”
Caffeine and alcohol can stop you falling asleep and prevent good quality sleep. Therefore, it is recommended that people cut down on alcohol and avoid caffeine close to bedtime.
Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark and affect most living things.
Caffeine interferes with the process of falling asleep, and also prevents deep sleep.
Cutting out caffeine is not as simple as just ditching coffee. Caffeine can be found in other sources too. These include:
- Tea
- Some fizzy drinks
- Chocolate
- Energy drinks
- Some pain relievers.
People who smoke also tend to take longer to fall asleep, wake up more frequently, and often have more disrupted sleep.
If poor sleep is affecting your daily life or causing you distress, you can talk to your GP.
Electronic devices, including computers, televisions, smartphones, and tablets, all emit strong blue light.
When you use these devices, that blue light floods your brain, tricking it into thinking it’s daytime. As a result, your brain suppresses melatonin production and works to stay awake.
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