Sleep takes up of third of our lives. Whether babies, children, adults, or seniors, all need enough sleep for at least six hours or more to start and fulfill a whole day of activities. If we sleep well, we will be refreshed when getting up in the morning. Otherwise, we will feel drowsy and out of spirits, which will affect our whole day. There are four factors that may affect our sleep.
*dietaryrn*exercisern*regular sleeprn*bedding
But what is a quality sleep? Maybe now we don’t any ideas. Let’s take a look at some sleep stages and what may affect our sleeping types...
When we fall asleep, our brain goes through various activities. According to scientific research, sleep is divided into two types and five stages as our brain and body have different characteristics. Let’s see the details.
Non-REM Sleep
Stage 1: During this stage, the brain produces alpha and theta waves, Different Types of Sleepyour eye movements and muscle activity will then slow down. But you are still in a light sleep or NREM sleep and can be easily woken. You may even have a falling sensation and sudden muscle twitches.
Stage 2: Following stage one, brain waves will slow with an occasional increase of waves and your eye movement will stop. Your heart rate begins to slow and body temperature drops to preparing for a deeper sleep.
Stages 3 and 4: Deep sleep comes in the final two stages as the brain begins producing extremely slow delta waves. The more brain waves the brain produces, the deeper you will sleep. During this period, it will be the hardest time for you to be awakened. And the strong and energetic body is also built up at this point for a new day.
rnREM Sleep
Stage 5: This stage is also known as “rapid eye movement” sleep. Although you are sleeping, your brain is still active. This is also the time where most of your dreams happen. Actually, most people will have three to six REM sleep periods every night. Each cycle will last from 10 minutes to 1 hour but it depends on different individuals. During REM sleep, your heart rate will increase and blood pressure will rise.
After having a basic knowledge of different types of sleep, we now know that the long deep sleep, the higher the quality of sleep you get. However, which factors will influence our sleep?
The Factors Which Influence Our SleeprnThere are various factors which will influence our sleep. Some factors such as the internal body structure and mechanisms we are unable to control, but some we can control, such as what we eat and drink, the medications we take, and the environment where we sleep.
Diet: The foods and drinks we consume every day, including products containing caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, will prevent us from sleeping and affect the overall quality of sleep.
Environment: The environment we are living in, including the amount of light we are exposed to every day, and bedroom, even the mattress we are sleeping on each day, will promote or ruin our sleep.
Stress: Both physical and psychological conditions - worrying over problems and depression, will get in the way towards a restful sleep.
Relationship: The relationship between you and your family, friends and even neighbors. Especially when irritable or angry with your loved ones, will disrupt your sleep.
Illness: Medical conditions including pains from arthritis, liver disease, cancer, and other syndromes, will hamper your ability to sleep properly.
These are only the tip of the iceberg of which will keep you up in the sleep. But we still can keep the above factors in mind to kick out bad sleep. Nighsleehas the cool memory foam mattress and pillow you need to combat a restless night. Now we come to the point, how we get the quality sleep each night?
rnHow To Get Quality Sleep
*Cultivate healthy dietary habitsrnThe eating and drinking habits have a heavy influence on how well you sleep. In daily life, try to reduce or avoid taking in food or drinks which contain caffeine, alcohol and nicotine, especially within the hours of bedtime. Don’t eat too many heavy, rich meals or drink too many liquids before sleeping.
*Develop good exercising habitsrnExercising regularly will contribute to a better sleep at night. Take light exercise such as walking, jogging or doing housework for several minutes a day to improve your sleep quality. Set a scheduled exercising plan and do your best to stick to it. Do exercising earlier and try to finish vigorous workouts at least three hours before going to bed.
*Establish regular sleeping habitsrnFollowing the internal clock of your body and sleeping at the proper time will improve the quality of your sleep efficiently. Going to sleep and getting up at the same time each day. Don’t burn the midnight oil even on weekends and stick to the same routine as weekdays. If it is difficult for you to sleep at night, take naps for about 10 to 20 minutes and don’t nap after four p.m.
*Choose comfortable beddingrnThe sturdy bed frame, supportive mattress, cozy pillow, and protector, all make a difference to your sleeping. As we humans have lots of moisture and shed dead skin cells every day, it’s important to select a good mattress which will make us cool and free of allergens. Remember to clean your bedding and mattress periodically. If possible, change your bed and mattress after eight or ten years to keep your sleeping area clean and healthy.
Source:
www.nighslee.com/blog/How-To-Get-Quality-Sleep-At-Night