Easy Tips to Get Better Sleep

If you have problems getting enough sleep there are several easy remedies. It is a good idea to establish a regular bedtime routine where you would go to sleep at the same time every night. Avoid caffeine and alcohol before going to bed. It is best not to keep anything that would cause distractions in the bedroom, such as televisions and radios. It is also a good idea not to exercise within 3 hours of trying to go to sleep.

There are herbs and hormones that can be taken to help a person go to sleep. Valerian is an herb that has been used for centuries against insomnia. Melatonin is a hormone that helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle and is used as an occasional sleep aid. Melatonin metabolizes quickly, so a person would not have to worry about being drowsy in the morning if they wake up during the night when taking this.

Fight Fatigue with Food

It is found that eating enough inulin, which is found in foods such as chicory root, leeks, onions, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes and some yogurts, can fight off feeling tired. It also boosts good bacteria in the colon and can help the absorption of calcium. It is recommended to get 5 g of inulin per day.

New Spray to Help Sleeping Problems

A new nasal spray is currently being developed that reverses the mental effects of sleeping deprivation. The drug would eliminate detrimental changes in brain activity that results from lack of sleep. Clinical trials will be required before the drug can receive FDA approval.

Negative Effects of Not Getting Enough Sleep

There are negative effects of not getting enough sleep each night. Not getting enough sleep each night can lead to obesity, heart disease, and illnesses.

Research has proven that people who get less than seven hours of sleep each night are 30 percent more likely to be obese. Not getting enough sleep affects the flow of hormones that regulate hunger and satiety, which can cause a person to eat more. Sleepy people are also more likely to eat high-fat and high-calorie foods to give them energy.

Women that get less than five hours of sleep each night are more likely to develop hypertension, which is a leading cause of heart disease. When a person doesn’t get enough sleep, their body produces more stress hormones and other substances that would increase inflammation, which increases the risks of heart disease and stroke.

People that get less than five hours of sleep each night also have two and a half times the risk of getting diabetes when compared to people that sleep for seven or eight hours each night. Not getting enough of deep sleep decreases the ability to regulate blood-sugar levels.

People that are sleep deprived often feel cranky because that would make the amygdala, the part of the brain that process emotional events, to go into overdrive and the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that regulates reasoning, to become deactivated and this would make a person feel less stable than usual. Sleep deprivation makes the brain unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce rational responses.

Sleep deprivation affects how well the body fights infections and determines how well the body produces antibodies after a vaccination. While a person is sleeping, the body produces cytokines, chemicals that help the immune system fight off infection and disease.

Cell Phones Causing Sleeping Problems

It is found that the mild radiation that a brain receives from a cell phone can cause a person to have problems falling asleep. A study also found that people that were exposed to mobile phone radiation just before trying to go to sleep had higher risks when it came to having insomnia and headaches. The same people also had more trouble reaching a state of deep sleep and they couldn’t stay in deep sleep as long as people who weren’t being exposed to cell phone radiation.

It is assumed that mobile phone radiation causes changes in the areas of the brain responsible for activating and coordinating the stress system. It is recommended not to talk on a cell phone soon before going to bed.

Sleeping is Essential to Learning

Research has shown that teenagers have internal body clocks and hormones that make it hard for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. and hard for them to wake up before 8 a.m. Most high schools start classes around 7:30a.m., so students have to wake up very early. A National Sleep Foundation survey found that up to 28 percent of high school students fall asleep during their first class. A few high schools have recognized this issue and moved their starting times to around 8:30 a.m. When they did this, test scores and attendance increased.