New Science Reveals How You Can Get More Shut-Eye
Getting sufficient sleep in the modern world is a challenge. Everyone is trying to keep you up all night: advertisers, your boss, and your family.
But lack of sleep is associated with a host of adverse health outcomes, including obesity, high blood pressure, and early-onset cognitive decline.
Therefore, sleep scientists are busily investigating what people can do to spend more time in a restful state while in the sack. Here are some of the things that they recommend.
Don’t Eat After 6 PM
Researchers used to think that light levels were the primary determinant of the sleep cycle and that everything else was second. But now they’ve discovered that food has a substantial impact too. According to the data, our bodies learn our regular feeding patterns over time. When we eat, we prime our bodies to burn energy.
Increased activity on the cellular level causes the brain to release alertness hormones, giving us the energy we need to go about our business. Historically, most people got the lion’s share of their calories at breakfast and midday.
Very few people ate heavy meals in the evenings or snacked while watching Netflix until late at night. However, with the advent of the modern world, that all changed, and it’s causing problems with sleep. The body remains highly active as it digests food, making it more challenging to flop off. Here’s some advice: don’t eat after 6 PM if you regularly struggle to sleep. Food could be your worst enemy.
Take Hemp Oil
Hemp oil, sometimes called CBD or cannabidiol, is incredibly popular right now, thanks to all the purported health benefits. It seems to be able to do everything, from eliminating chronic pain to cutting anxiety.
It may, however, have additional benefits. Shape says that people are now using it as a sleep aid.
The active compounds reduce the body’s fight or flight response, allowing people to slip into a deep sleep, without their minds buzzing with worries.
How You Can Get More Shut-Eye: Stop Light Coming Through Your Curtains
Over evolutionary time, our bodies developed the ability to sense the rising of the sun. Eventually, light levels determined when we woke up and went to sleep. That’s why people tend to wake up in the morning automatically, even if they don’t have an alarm.
Light bounces through their eyelids, hits their retinas, and then sends a signal to their brains that it is time to get going. Problems start, though, when artificial light enters the picture. Street lighting overstimulates the brain, making it think that it is morning, even when it is not. Fortunately, you don’t have to put up with poor sleep for the rest of your life. Blackout curtains keep the bedroom dark.
How You Can Get More Shut-Eye: Keep Cool
Being too warm can severely affect your sleep. It’s why people struggle so much during heatwaves: many of them simply can’t get any rest. Some bed vendors now make mattresses that allow fresh air to circulate, even when compressed. Thus, you can remain cool throughout the summer, making sleep more likely.
