Getting enough sleep is essential for maintaining good physical health…and mental health too.
Sport is one of the best techniques for getting better rest, along with healthy eating and creating routines
Normally, we need around 8 hours of sleep to sleep well, although this figure may vary from person to person.
There are indisputable health and wellness maxims that we are all well aware of, but that doesn’t stop us from consistently ignoring them and then suffering the consequences. The need to rest well, both in terms of time and quality, is one of them: always know that the ideal is to sleep for 8 hours (aunque cada persona es un mundo) y que es important hacerlo sin interruptions, habiendo creado previamente un ambiente relajado que nos permita abrir los ojos a la mañana siguiente con las piles cargadas y una sonrisa en the mouth. Utopia? The truth is that the ingredients to obtain this restful sleep are within our reach and largely depend on our will: playing sports, eating healthy and trying to reduce our stress levels are the most important, as well as, logically, avoiding go to bed late on purpose. If you need motivation to take your rest seriously, write down what happens to your body if you don’t sleep eight hours a day.
What happens to your body if you don’t sleep eight hours a day?
It is a proven fact that without quality rest, it will be very difficult for us to concentrate and face the day with the necessary joy and energy. This is why sleep disorders are so harmful, linked not only to our physical health, but also to our mental health: depression, ADHD, chronic fatigue syndrome… have to do with rest or, rather, with the lack of it, as well as its poor quality.
In this specific area, specialists recommend avoid the temptation to resort to drugs at all costs to help us induce sleep: start by doing what you can to solve the problem naturally. Remember that many of these drugs can be addictive and you won’t solve the root problem.
Regarding the consequences of not getting enough sleep For the rest of your body, keep in mind that while you sleep, processes such as learning information, thinking, and forming memories take place; let your heart and vascular system rest; release more growth hormone; increase muscle mass and cell and tissue repair; release sex hormones; and cure or ward off disease, by generating hormones that help your immune system.
If you stop these processes and sleep less than the routinely recommended hours, either of your own volition or because you suffer from insomniayou will be more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, obesity or diabetes, among others.
To avoid this, take note of these tips for better sleep:
- Design healthy routines. People function better when we have a set routine. It doesn’t have to be completely strict, but it’s practical and healthy not to “drive your body crazy”. Having breakfast, lunch and dinner at around the same time, also going to bed at the same time every day… these are small gestures that will make you feel that your life is in order, also helping your body to be clear on what time to stop and rest. Within these routines, you can introduce elements that promote rest: turn off the TV after a certain time, reduce the brightness of your home, avoid using the mobile in the hours before bedtime…
- Play sports. Just about any health issue will be more manageable with exercise, and sleep issues are no exception. Sport has been proven to reduce stress and help secrete the substances your body needs to be more vital… and also more ready to rest when the time comes.
- Take care of your diet. Some substances do not help us sleep well. Coffee, tea, sugars, alcohol… are the clearest examples. Also avoid large dinners and heavy foods, as this type of digestion can not only prevent you from sleeping well, but could also cause more than one bad dream. Also avoid having dinner just before going to bed, which will help you, incidentally, to avoid gaining weight.
- Create an environment that facilitates sleep. The transition to the moment of rest must be gradual and it is important to gradually adapt to the decrease in light around us, creating an environment that allows us to relax. The screens of televisions, computers, mobile phones… are our worst enemies (especially if we choose content that disturbs or worries us), so the ideal would be to avoid this type of contact. On the contrary, reading or listening to relaxing music will help you fall asleep and rest much better. The environment around us is also crucial: a tidy room, dim light…