One of the major problems of the current era is sleep disorders. From the amount of time you sleep, the quality of sleep, and the number of times you wake up during the night. These disorders affect all areas of personal development, as well as changes in mood and, therefore, in behavior, accompanied by physical and mental fatigue.
Common disorders include insomnia, hypersomnia, restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, night terrors, nightmares, and sleepwalking. All of these have a neurological and psychological cause.
That is why it is important for people who face these problems to go to a neurologist to be diagnosed and treated appropriately.
It is suggested that they also receive psychotherapy, to find the external and internal factors that are leading to this type of psychopathology. Family, educational, work, and social problems, among others, can cause worry and stress that disrupt sleep.
It is important to take into account that there are other causes such as medical and mental illnesses, and substance use – alcohol and some drugs – that cause sleep disturbances.
But perhaps the most common and easiest cause to fix is poor sleep hygiene. That is, having bad sleeping habits. From childhood, we learn the specific conditions for having a restful sleep, but many times they were not learned properly or simply as we grow up, people forget them.
There has been an increase in sleep disorders during this time because many people do not turn off their electronic devices, which makes it difficult for them to sleep, they wake up many times during the night and therefore their sleep is not restful.
We share with you some tips to develop good habits and sleep effectively and restfully but remember: to achieve success, you have to be consistent.
- Set a specific time to go to bed.
- Eat dinner about an hour before going to bed.
- Avoid eating foods that are difficult to digest, you know your digestion.
- Put on pajamas according to the climate of your room (hot or cold).
- Check that your bed is made according to the climate (hot or cold).
- Turn off all the lights in the bedroom.
- Close the curtains in the room.
- Turn off all electronic devices that emit light or sound.
- Practice relaxation exercises once you are in bed.
- If you wish, you can do this breathing exercise, which will help you relax and sleep:
- Inhale for four seconds
- Hold your breath for seven seconds
- Exhale for eight seconds
- Repeat the sequence three times in a row, every night.