The social situation we are living in right now is affecting many of our habits and sleep is also one of them. Sleeping well is very important, perhaps now more than ever, as rest helps to strengthen our immune system, our body's natural defense against viruses and infections. It is likely that during the quarantine period we have changed our light and dark cycles, as we may be waking up and going to bed later. In other words, we are missing out on the sunlight of the first hours of the day, which are key for our brain to know that in 12 to 14 hours it will be time to sleep. In addition, teleworking and not leaving home have led us to change our tiredness habits. In a normal situation, during the course of the day our body remains active and at night it feels the need to rest. However, now that we have less physical activity, we arrive at night less tired and this can affect our sleep.
Optimal rest is essential to lead a healthy lifestyle as well as to protect and strengthen our immune system, key to fight any type of virus and infection. To do this, we must maintain proper habits that allow us to relax and sleep better because during the hours of rest is when our body performs the regenerative processes necessary to strengthen our immune system. Gregorio Mora, HOGO sleep coach, details ten tips to keep in mind.
- Do not exercise in the three hours before going to sleep, as it stimulates our muscles and accelerates the heart rate.
- Eat dinner two hours before going to bed so that our body finishes digestion before going to sleep and not while we sleep.
- During dinners, eat light food, without carbohydrates and do not drink alcoholic beverages. In addition, it is not advisable to drink any caffeinated product after 5 pm.
- Try to maintain a similar daily schedule regarding the time to go to bed. Ideally between 10 and 11 pm.
- Two hours before going to sleep, stop using electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, tablets, etc.
- Maintain a temperature between 18 and 20 degrees in the room where you sleep.
- It is advisable, if possible, to sleep on natural materials, thus avoiding synthetics and petroleum derivatives for a better transpiration of our body. Likewise, it is advisable to sleep on beds without metallic components (structure, springs, etc.), since they are electroconductive.
- We should sleep completely in the dark so that melatonin secretion is complete. In addition, in case we wake up at midnight, it is advisable not to turn on strong lights so as not to interrupt the production of melatonin.
- Do not have electronic devices connected in the room where you sleep. It is advisable to disconnect the Wifi network throughout the house and also charge the cell phone at a safe distance from us or even in a different room from where you rest.
- To enjoy a good night's sleep, you should sleep between 7 and 8 hours.
