6 Things To Avoid Just Before Sleeping

Apart from eating balanced diet, exercising and maintaining great mental health, having an adequate quota of sound sleep is essential for building a great health foundation. The hectic lifestyle, the increasing dependence on technological devices and improper food consumption patterns are taking a toll on our health gradually. While 7 to 8 hours of sleep is our body’s indispensable need for proper rejuvenation of our internal systems, improper bedtime habits can have retrogressive impacts on our restorative powers.

Lack of sleep can trigger various bodily disorders and many people may even experience frequent headaches, backaches, fatigue, constant pain in legs, digestive disorders, mood swings, etc. Resorting to having sleeping pills can worsen the health in the long run. A good comfortable bed along with a firm mattress is extremely necessary for a good night’s sleep. However, this alone won’t guarantee sound sleep and thus, here are 6 things to avoid just before sleeping so that you wake up fresh and feel completely geared up for facing a new day with lifted spirits:-

1. Having Television In Your Bedroom

Watching television just before sleeping can delay the production of melatonin hormones that are crucial for letting your mind know that it’s time to fall asleep. The light emitting from television screen can keep your mind alert, convincing that you are not feeling sleepy and hence, you end up watching television for few more hours. Such kind of bedtime habit can disrupt your sleep patterns and will affect your health negatively in the long run.

2. Eating Heavy Dinner

Medical experts suggest having a light dinner two hours prior to your sleep routine. This is because when you consume high calorie foods during night, your body doesn’t burn it as you don’t indulge in any sort of physical activity like you undergo during the day. Due to this, having heavy meals at night may cause acidity, heartburn and gastric issues, which may disturb your sleep. Even if you have light dinner, try to have it two hours before heading to bed so that your digestion system churns out a greater portion of the meal while you are active and rest can be digested when you are asleep. So, heavy dinner is one of the most important things to avoid just before sleeping.

3. Getting Hooked To Smartphones

Smartphones have become a major cause for the downfall in the health of majority of people. The habit of using smartphone at all times is lessening the quantum of physical activity and is distorting mental peace too. The addiction to smartphones has compelled people to grab the habit of checking the smartphones, while in bed. The blue light emitted by the mobile screens can stop the production of sleep hormones and affects the circadian rhythm, thus robbing you off your good night’s sleep.

4. Bringing Work To Your Bed

Never ever take work to your bed. Many studies have found that the work stress and poor work life balance is the major determinant for rising cases of insomnia and mental health disorders. Picking up this habit can impact your well being in both short run and long run. Inadequate sleep along with stress is the perfect combination to make you highly susceptible to lifestyle diseases, thus shortening your lifespan.

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5. Indulging In A Heated Argument

A heated discussion with your spouse on the bed or through phone during your sleep time can add stress to your mind and unknowingly your mind will become hyperactive in thinking about various past events or start imagining future consequences. Thus you will remain awake in a fit of anger for longer duration. Instead, avoid arguments and follow your sleep routine strictly.

6. Drinking Too Much Water

Maintaining good hydration levels is essential for our body and medical experts suggest having around 2 to 3 litres of water each day to serve this purpose. But intake of water must be divided in a way that maximum quantity of water must be consumed till afternoon and less water in the evening. It has to be noted that less water should be consumed after 8 p.m to ensure that your sleep is not disturbed due to frequent visits to the washroom. It is better to make a habit of drinking water before 8 p.m and urinating once before bedtime to get undisrupted sleep.