Slumber party: Improve quality of your sleep with these tips

Check out simple lifestyle changes that you can make to improve your quality of sleep

Image used for representational purpose

Sleep is important for recovery, detoxification, managing weight, etc. If we don’t sleep well, these processes will go for a toss and, in turn, affect your body as well as health. You might be eating well and working out regularly, but lack of sleep will affect your weight loss and healing process. Let’s look at making simple lifestyle changes to sleep better.

• Stay away from your devices such as mobile, TV, laptop, etc., at least an hour before bedtime to sleep better. Melatonin is a sleep hormone that is produced in the body post-sunset. But, when artificial light falls on the retina, it signals the body to stop melatonin production. A lack of melatonin makes it difficult for one to sleep or the body to heal. As a thumb rule, keep light-emitting gadgets away at least an hour before sleep time.
• After this, focus on deep breathing—left nostril deep breathing in particular—to disconnect the mind from chaos and fall asleep easily. Oxygen enhances healing and helps suppress cortisol, the stress hormone. When we focus on deep breathing at bedtime, we disconnect from all the thoughts that keep running in the mind, and this enables better sleep.
• Take a cup of nutmeg tea (mix a pinch of the spice in a cup of water) or sip on chamomile tea. Nutmeg as well as chamomile possess sleep-inducing properties.
• If you can take a nap in the afternoon and sleep at night, you’re good to go. But if you can’t, avoid the afternoon nap for a few weeks to set a proper bedtime routine.
• The ideal time gap between dinner and sleep should be between two to three hours because a late dinner can make the body highly acidic. This can trigger reflux or acidity when you are in the lying-down position. It also affects the sleep cycle.
• At least five to six days a week, keep the same wake-up and sleep time so that your body gets into the circadian rhythm. It is fine to have late nights once a week, but if you do it regularly, your body will not help in healing.

Sleep is a fundamental platform for good health. If you don’t sleep well, your body will crave sugar and carbs the next day, you will not be able to focus on work, have hormonal imbalance, inflammation, stress, etc. So, do everything that it takes to ensure you have a good sleep.

Deepika Rathod

Chief Nutrition Officer, Luke Coutinho Holistic Healing Systems.

The writer is a clinical nutritionist with a focus on healthy lifestyle choices.