Health and Fitness Notes

Getting a good night of sleep is important for attaining the best performance throughout the day. It affects health, moods and energy levels. The average sleep requirement for adults is eight hours. However, millions aren’t getting this level of sleep. There are countless ways to ensure a better night’s rest to have additional energy and better health.

First, the body clock needs to be reset. To begin a better cycle, go to bed and wake up at the same hour every night and day. Sleeping late on weekends will change the clock, which makes it more difficult to sleep at the appropriate time on other days. This will result in fatigue during the day as the clock is not set to an ideal schedule. Being in the sun can get a better sleep/wake cycle started. Being in the sunlight will reset the clock for activity during daylight and rest at night.

Often, the best predictor of your night’s sleep is what happened throughout the day. Staying active through regular exercise will promote better sleep at night. But, exercise shouldn’t be performed when it’s close to time for bed. Late exercise will get the blood flowing and the heart rate up and promote energy when it’s time to sleep. Earlier exercise will promote energy when it’s time to be energetic, but that energy will flag when it’s time to sleep. Exercising in the latter part of the afternoon is ideal. This will make the energy boost flag at bedtime.

Sleep time can often be attributed to habit. A habit of staying up late is often hard to undo. Staying awake after going to bed is another habit. It’s important to start a fresh bedtime routine. Doing a set of actions each night just before bedtime is a good habit to begin. Falling asleep and the events in the routine will soon become connected. Sleep will be induced by the habit itself after it is ingrained.

Watching your food and drink at night will also affect your sleep. Everyone knows to avoid caffeine before bed. But, other items can have this effect as well. Foods with tyrosine will cause wakefulness. Tyrosine is in items such as bologna, cheddar cheese and pepperoni. Red wine has similar effects on sleep. Warm milk, accompanied by bread, can help with late-night cravings. When both of these are consumed together, the effect of the milk’s tryptophan is enhanced and sleepiness ensues. However, a hefty meal should not be eaten just before bedtime, or the digestive process can interfere with sleep. Eat dinner three to four hours before bed and eat only break and milk if you remain hungry.

Tags: healthy living, keeping fit