When you don’t get enough sleep one night, you may spend the next day feeling irritable and easily distracted. However, if you haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep for weeks, then you may be at risk of more serious conditions. Long-term sleep loss can affect your blood pressure, cognitive functions, immune system and heart functions. This is why it’s so important to take action if your not regularly getting 7 hours of sleep.
Take Notes
Hopefully, the suggestions in this article will help you. But if they don’t, you’ll want a record of what strategies you have tried and how each one impacted your night. Physicians often ask for patients to complete a sleep survey Houston TX, or keep a sleep diary. These tools will help them diagnose the problem through examination of your patterns and habits. To start a sleep diary, you’ll need a list of questions arranged in a chart format for each night of sleep. The questions center around activities you performed prior to bedtime and how you slept through the night.
Stick to a Schedule
Your body’s circadian rhythm is the system that regulates hormones, metabolism, body temperature and sleep patterns. It functions based on light, dark and your biological clock. The best way to cue your body for sleep is to fall asleep and wake up at the same time every day. Even on weekends. Pick a bedtime based on when you feel tired. There is no reason to lay in bed when you are wide awake. The key is working with your body, not against it.
Cut Out Stimulation Before Bed
Anything can trigger your brain to keep circling. Light from your phone, random sounds, caffeine or an uncomfortable room temperature can all keep you awake. Ideally, do not have any caffeine within 6 hours of bedtime. If noises keep you awake, consider a white noise machine. Leave phones, laptops and any reminder of work in the kitchen overnight if you can. Reading and meditation aren’t considered stimulating activities and can help your body to relax.
