Sleep is a necessary function that helps your body and mind to rejuvenate, allowing you to wake up feeling refreshed and alert.
Healthy sleep also aids in the body’s wellness and illness prevention. The brain cannot operate up to its potential if it does not get adequate sleep. This might make it difficult for you to focus, think clearly, or remember things.
The average adult requires between seven and nine hours of sleep every night. Children and teens, especially those under the age of five, need much more rest.
Work schedules, daily pressures, a noisy bedroom environment, and medical problems can make it challenging to get adequate sleep. When you spend the night tossing and turning, it can be very tempting to snooze over and over, but these sorts of habits can do more harm than good.
The secret to getting the best sleep of your life is likely a combination of consistent sleep habits, good sleep hygiene (appropriate environments, avoiding screen time, etc.), and mindfulness, among other techniques.
Changing up your sleeping habits can be an overwhelming process, so let’s break it down to make things simpler. For more information about the importance of sleep and how it can influence mental health, or to access qualified mental health professionals who can help, be sure to visit resources like BetterHelp.
Is pressing the snooze button harmful to your health?
Are you tired of pushing the snooze button and putting your day on hold? The conventional suggestion is to simply act as if it isn’t an option, but everyone who owns a snooze button understands that this is terrible advice.
Hitting the snooze button does more harm than just postponing your day’s start. By clicking the snooze button, you make yourself groggier than if you had just gotten out of bed in the first place.
Here’s how the science works: the majority of snooze buttons are configured to last 9 minutes. You won’t be able to finish a whole sleep cycle in that period. As a result, when you eventually get out of bed, you feel “sleep inertia,” as defined by scientists.
How to Avoid Hitting Snooze
Here are some tips that will help you avoid hitting the snooze button and let you continue your much-desired sleep.
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Set your alarm in a difficult-to-reach location.
Part of the temptation of the snooze button is its ease; whether you use a traditional alarm clock or one on your phone, it’s much too simple to mindlessly hit snooze without having to move more than a few muscles.
A lack of movement makes it easy to fall back into a sort of half-sleep, but when the snooze period inevitably wears off, the cycle begins again.
Instead of relying on your bedside table, try to place your alarm somewhere that will need you to get out of bed to turn it off. The sooner you get up and active, the more likely you are to stay that way.
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Get a better night’s sleep.
Take steps to ensure you get the best night’s sleep you can every night. This goal might look different from one night to another, but no matter what, commit to doing what you need to do in order to unwind.
Set a realistic alarm time and progressively alter your schedule in 15-minute increments until you attain your ideal sleep and waking times.
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Make a night-time ritual for yourself.
Give yourself an hour before night to unwind. Heavy meals, alcohol, coffee, narcotics, exercise, and computer usage should all be avoided during that hour.
Take a warm bath, apply aromatherapy, meditate or mild yoga, speak with a roommate, or read a book under dim lighting instead.
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Give yourself a cause to get out of bed in the morning.
Make plans to do something enjoyable first thing in the morning. Ideally, this should be an activity that you can do outside in the sunshine to help you wake up even more.
Increase the stakes by permitting yourself to participate in this favorite pastime only if you get up on time.
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Make the most of the light.
Some alarm clocks include a light that becomes brighter and brighter as well as a sound. Your body will naturally wake up as a result of this mimicked dawn.
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Drink a glass of water.
Drinking water not only gets you moving (going to the kitchen and obtaining water), but it also replenishes the body’s most precious resource after a 6-8 hour drought.
Because of the increased energy required to heat the water during digestion, drinking colder water also helps to wake up the body.
Conclusion
Staying energized and functional is not just about getting a lot of sleep; it’s about getting the correct sort of sleep.
Sleep impacts our capacity to utilize language, maintain attention, comprehend what we read, and summarize what we hear; if we don’t get enough sleep, it impacts our performance, mood, and interpersonal connections.
Snoozing can be detrimental to our sleep cycle, as convenient as it can be, as can a variety of other habits. Taking simple steps toward better sleep habits can make a huge difference over time, so don’t be afraid to start today!
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