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It is important to get 8 hours of quality sleep every night. Here are 5 things your should avoid to improve your sleep, increase your productivity, and minimize your chronic pain.
Getting a quality night of sleep is very important. Having a poor sleep schedule negatively affects your mood, decreases your productivity, causes headaches, and adds to chronic pain. To maximize the duration and quality of your sleep, you should avoid the following.
1. Using screens before bed
Using your phone to browse social media causes your eyes to be hyperactive. The blue light from screens damage your eyes and mess with your body's internal clock making it hard to fall asleep. Also, whatever you are watching or reading on social media can cause your mind to be psychologically engaged forcing you to overthink. Overthinking adds to the hyperactivity of your mind making it difficult to rest.
2. Drinking caffeine after dinner
Drinking soda and coffee late in the day can make it difficult for you to fall asleep. Caffeine is a stimulant of the central nervous system which makes it very effective in the morning. It is just as effective at night and for those with a weak caffeine tolerance, coffee after dinner could keep you up for hours. Limiting your caffiene intake late in the day can better your sleep schedule.
3. Exercising right before bed
Elevating your heart rate before bed makes it difficult for your body to relax and fall asleep. If you tned to exercise late in the day and have trouble falling asleep - this may be the reason. Exercising earlier in the day may be more beneficial to your rest pattern.
4. Eating high sugar foods
High sugar foods give your body a temporary boost of energy and often lead to a sugar crash. Sugar crashes throughout the day make you feel tired and inclined to take a nap. These naps can throw off your normal sleep schedule making it difficult to fall asleep at a reasonable time.
5. Drinking a lot of water immediately before bed
Drinking multiple cups of water right before bed can cause multiple bathroom breaks throughout the night altering your sleep. It is important to drink water before bed - and whenever you feel thirsty. But do not force yourself to drink multiple cups of water before you go to sleep. It will cause unwanted interruptions in your rest.
It is important to get around 6-8 hours of quality sleep so you can be as productive as possible. For serious cases of sleep apnea and chronic pain consult your physician. To schedule an appointment with a pain doctor, click below:
https://www.gardenstatepain.com/
Garden State Pain & Orthopedics