HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessTwo Amazing Tricks for a Good Night's Sleep, Says Doctor

Two Amazing Tricks for a Good Night’s Sleep, Says Doctor

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Anyone who has ever searched the term “how to fall asleep” knows about the endless sleep hygiene advice: hacks, like “take a shower before bed” or “don’t eat after 6 p.m.”. Though few could be helpful, people who truly can’t fall asleep need more than those changes.

“Sleep hygiene is like being told to wash your hands: it can prevent an infection, but it can’t treat one,” said Michael Grandner, director of the sleep and health research program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson.

“If you cross the line to a sleep disorder, you need some help.”

For some people who have been struggling with sleep, finding a truly reliable trick for successfully drifting off to sleep will be life’s most compelling mystery.

Dr. Michael Mosley on BBC Sounds shared few best habits to get the best sleep you’ve ever had.

He said:

Any form of walking outside during the day is good because it exposes you to daylight but going in the morning seems to alert our body and brain that the day has started.

Light also helps to reset our internal body clock which tells our body to go to sleep and when to wake up.

Exposure to light also suppresses the production of melatonin which is known as the hormone that encourages us to go to sleep.

Bright light early in the morning will reduce your melatonin production straight off and starts to make you feel wide awake.

It’s not only that light suppresses the melatonin, but it also brings your body clock forward so that in the evening when you want to go to sleep, your body is ready for it.

In short, if you are struggling to go to sleep at night, it could be because you are not getting enough bright light, particularly in the morning.

The earlier you have exposure to daylight the better the impact of the quantity and quality of sleep.

It’s also thought that early exposure to light actually reduces the amount of time you wake up during the middle of the night to get a deeper and better night’s sleep.

According to him:

Using this simple trick, you can actually train yourself to become a morning person in just a matter of weeks.

We don’t have to be an early riser, the doctor said.

Just go out for a walk in just two hours of when you would normally get up and this can also work if you’re a shift worker or if you have odd working hours.

If you’re awake when the sun is rising, although it might not feel like there is much light, there is a higher proportion of blue light or short-wavelength light which is one of the same things our receptors are particularly sensitive to and can have a positive effect.

Melatonin, known as the sleep hormone, is associated with control of the sleep–wake cycle.

Our body naturally produces it, but scientific community and people have shown a great interest in external sources of it, such as liquids or capsules, as a way to address sleep difficulties.

One of the odd things about your internal clock is that it doesn’t run 24 hours, it normally runs a little bit longer than that so one of the purposes of bright sunlight is that it resets the clock every morning and for some reason that seems to be particularly beneficial.

Dr Mosley added.

In the winter months the days are shorter, and we get less daylight which really can throw our rhythms out of sync and in some people lead to low mood and even depression.

If we don’t reset our clocks in the morning because we have not had enough light our body clock will be off kilter.

We can feel very tired and grotty.

It’s not just about how light has an effect on your melatonin levels, when you’re exposed to daylight it also triggers the release of a different chemical known as serotonin which is one that makes us feel good.

It’s a natural mood booster, serotonin is one of the chemicals that antidepressants boost, and it’s so powerful it can actually reset your brain chemistry and perhaps even change your outlook.

Dr. Mosley concluded.

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