Adopt healthy habits and you will notice the change

To achieve good performance in daily life, it is important that our body manages to acquire a healthy lifestyle that allows physical/mental repair and rest. Follow these sleep hygiene guidelines and you will notice the change:

• Eat light meals two hours before bed
• Do not consume complex starches two hours before bed
• Avoid screens 3 hours before bed
• Avoid having computers or televisions in the room
• Have quality lights for sleep adequacy
• Avoid white lights
• Provide a completely dark place when sleeping
• Expose yourself to daylight and night light to achieve adaptation and adequate release of melatonin
• Have a suitable temperature of around 21ºC in the room
• Take a light shower before going to sleep
• Sleep in comfortable and cool clothes
• Use comfortable pillows and mattress
• Do not use the bed for other activities (watching television, eating, reading, listening to music)
• Not resolving conflicts in bed
• Perform meditation before sleeping (yoga, mantras, mindfulness, abdominal breathing, prayer, biofeedback)
• Perform physical exercise 4 hours before
• Do not consume caffeine or chocolate after 4 p.m.
• Avoid the consumption of alcohol, energy drinks and psychoactive substances
• The consumption of nuts stimulates the production of melatonin
• Consuming foods that help in the production of melatonin such as pineapple, avocado, plums and cereals such as oats and nuts, rich in tryptophan, is the basis for the production of melatonin.
• Drinking hot drinks before bed to induce sleep

Yoga increases levels of serotonin, a hormone that helps achieve restful sleep.

In case these recommendations do not work, you should consult a specialist doctor (ENT, internist) to perform studies such as polysomnography and rule out any underlying pathology.

 Drinks to fall asleep

One of the guidelines in sleep hygiene is to drink hot beverages 30 minutes before going to sleep, to help inhibit stress hormones and brain receptors that generate anxiety. Here are the alternatives in infusions to achieve good nights and ensure proactive days.

Lavender has properties that help you fall asleep, reduce stress and insomnia.

1. Chamomile infusion: Its antidepressant and anxiolytic properties are the guarantors of benefits at bedtime. Apigenin, an antioxidant that targets neurological receptors, decreases stress and induces drowsiness. The recommended dose is 200 milligrams of chamomile wheat flower twice a day. Two to three cups daily.
2. Passionflower infusion: Its anxiolytic and sedative properties help in episodes of inflammation, asthma, slow digestion and in the regulation of blood pressure. Its recommended dose in powdered form is two grams per day. Two to three cups daily. In liquid extract between 30 and 50 drops.
3. Lavender infusion: It has natural sedative effects that help to calm anxiety, depression and sleep conciliation. Studies show that supplementation helps in optimizing mental health and time spent in deep sleep cycles. Its recommended dose is 500 milliliters daily. Two to three cups daily.
4. Peppermint infusion: Contains polyphenols and a high level of essential oils, thanks to its anti-inflammatory effects it helps reduce pain, as well as increasing energy and the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Its recommended dose is 4 grams daily. One to two cups daily.
5. Valerian root infusion:Due to its sedative properties, it offers a calming and relaxing action. Its frequent use helps to improve sleep cycles and mental disorders such as stress and anxiety. The recommended dosage in powder form is 6 grams per day. One to three cups daily maximum.
6. Hops infusion: This plant has multiple anxiolytic and sedative properties, recognized for the treatment of insomnia as the tonic reconstitution of the nervous system, it is also a digestive stimulant, diuretic and antibacterial. Its recommended dose is 2 to 4 fresh strobili per cup, ingest 30 minutes before bedtime.

The correct posture at bedtime

In everyday life, movement plays a fundamental role in body performance, where changes in posture influence rest, whether sitting or lying down; the same happens when going to bed. Adopting a correct posture on a regular basis at night can bring physical and emotional benefits through the reduction of stress, contributing to an improvement in daily performance.

Aspects such as breathing and gastroesophageal flow can be affected by incorrect body posture. When sleeping, positions that facilitate comfort should be acquired, adopting the side posture facilitates the alignment of the hips, spine and shoulders, it is also important to avoid that the arms are below the body or the pillow to prevent a misalignment in the spine. Sleeping on the stomach could affect the neck, generating rotation in the spine, which causes pain, muscle spasms, tendinitis or difficulty in breathing.

Parts such as the pillow and the mattress will have great influence on the posture, if it is of a very soft texture, there will be an increase of the curvatures in the joints of the spine, cervical, dorsal and if it is very rigid, the result will be a contraction in the muscles. The pillow should be balanced in its hardness, avoiding that the head is above or below the back.

Sleeping with the extremities out of bed prevents proper blood flow, causing blood pressure problems, numbness and tingling sensations. Likewise, respiratory problems or obesity will require other conditions in the postures at the time of resting.