‘Relaxation Station’ brings you a good sleep
The overall quality of sleep depends not only on how long you sleep but also how much deep sleep you get. Getting five to six hours of deep sleep should be refreshing enough for you to be mentally sharp all day long whereas 10 hours of light sleep may not allow your body to recharge.
Good quality sleep enables your body to rest, regain vitality, and even optimize your health. Here are five tips you can follow to get that all-important deep sleep:
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Create a sleep-friendly environment: Make sure the bedroom is quiet, with a comfortable bed and soft lighting. Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature by optimizing the settings of your air-conditioner and/or fan. And turn off your mobile phone or switch to silent in order to avoid disturbance.
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Maintain a regular day-to-day lifestyle: To dine at regular times and to eat sensibly. Likewise, try to maintain regular times for going to sleep and waking up. Generally, do not go to bed after 11:00 p.m. and if you must nap in the afternoon, avoid doing so for more than an hour. It often helps to take a bath or shower before bed, or to soak your feet with warm water during cold weather. Massaging your body with lotion also helps relax you before sleep.
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Practice mindful breathing to relax: Before going to bed each night, spend 10 to 20 minutes sitting with your eyes closed, breathing in steadily through your nose and out through your mouth in a rhythmic manner. While doing so, try to imagine fresh air being pulled into your lungs and flowing into every single cell in your body, with all the accumulated waste being expelled as you breathe out. This rhythmic breathing exercise will relax your body and calm your mind.
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Leave your worries behind and accept your limits: The best approach is to accept the fact that, until you are feeling rested, you are not going to come up with good solutions to your problems. Try to leave your worries from your day behind, accept your own limits and postpone looking for ways to resolve problems until the next day.
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Do some relaxing bedtime activities: Reading a book or listening to soft music, together with some easy stretches, 30 minutes before bedtime, is a good way to release stress and calm you mind before sleep.
These tips can all help improve sleep quality but it is normal to have trouble sleeping from time to time so, avoid drinking alcohol or taking pills to get to sleep since they create problems in the long term. Bear in mind that the amount of sleep you need varies by age and workload. When you are young you need to sleep longer but sleep duration falls with age. As a rule of thumb, an adult needs around eight hours of sleep per night.
Mental Health Photographic Society Miu Bik-kwan (Registered Psychiatric Nurse)
Please note that all the information provided here is for reference only. You are advised to consult physicians or other professionals for advice before making any decision on the subject matters covered herein.