Amid fast-paced lives and busy schedules, disruption in sleep patterns is unavoidable for many people.
As with any problem, there is plenty of advice on social media. However, not all of these tips are necessarily appliable for everyone or backed by science.
Here is a list of five such things:
There is not only white noise but green or brown noises as well that help many people to sleep or stay calm. Unfortunately, this advice is not backed by scientific evidence. Research by the National Institutes of Health concluded that a person sleeps inefficiently due to continuous noise.
According to Time Magazine experts, sound is not needed for sleep and could actually turn into a dependancy.
Many people believe that exercise in the evening is not a promising activity before sleep as it increases heart rate and releases endorphins that escalate brain activity. It can result in staying hyper or awake throughout.
However, exercises, even before bed, can help to improve the sleep schedule as it rest the body and drops body temperature.
Sleep experts highlighted the incorporation of yoga and tai chi practices slows down breathing, activates the nervous system and calms the whole body.
A sleep health advisor Dan Gartenberg suggested that blue light from mobile phones, tablets and laptops with other screens intervene in the body’s production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
Gartenberg concluded from research studies that sleep health is not negatively impacted by blue light exposure. However, the issue is about more than just blie light and is related to overuse of phones, that can lead to lost time and distrubed patterns.
He advised that a person should get plenty of sunlight, maintain a healthy circadian rhythm and lessen screen time to have proper sleep.
Sleep hygiene habits can help in sleeping better. However, to treat insomnia, sleep hygiene might not be helpful.
A clinical psychologist, behavioral sleep medicine specialist and director of The Sleep Practice Holly Milling pointed out that healthy sleeping habits can help soothe or make a person asleep.
“For some people, focusing on sleep hygiene strategies actually makes insomnia worse, not better,” she said.
Milling recommended seeing a health professional or sleep specialist to seek treatment for insomnia.
Naps can scramble up the sleeping schedule of a person. However, this statement is half correct.
“It’s important to make sure you nap at the right time of day,” Schnorbach said. She suggests that an individual should nap for 20 minutes or less.
The right time for a nap is from 2 am to 4 pm when people’s energy ramps off; however, the napping time can vary.
“Napping can be extremely beneficial for those who have otherwise healthy sleep,” Gartenberg added.
