Exercise is a necessary activity to keep ourselves healthy. But too much of something good might not give a positive result always. While going to sleep, our body temperature drops, which helps us in getting good sleep. But if we go through a vigorous workout within 3 hours of bedtime, the body temperature rises hindering our sleep. Also, exercise releases certain chemicals in our body and brain (which includes adrenaline too), stopping us from falling asleep.
While reading, book lovers tend to follow the special catchphrase - "just one more page." Before long they realize that it's too late in the clock, and they have only a few hours left to catch some sleep. In this situation too, but they take time to fall asleep as the novel is still running in their head. Also, reading gross stories may cause nightmares, instead of sweet dreams, leading to bad sleep. It is advised to read a boring novel or a topic of less interest at night.
Drinking water or any other fluid a few hours before sleeping can disrupt your sleep as well as affect your health. Firstly, you will have to wake up many times in the middle of the night to visit the washroom, which will disrupt your sleep. Secondly, the Intake of fluids just before hitting the sack can affect your kidneys, bladder, and disturb the salt balance in our body. This is because our body is inactive when we sleep, thus no calories are burnt and no sweat is shed.
Watching late-night TV, reading on tablets, or late-night chatting and surfing not only reduces your sleeping hours but ruins your health too. Mobiles, laptops and TVs emit blue and white light. These lights prevents the release of a hormone called melatonin, which is released in the dark and signals to our body that it's the time to sleep .
Taking a shower before going to bed is not a bad idea, instead it is considered to be good. But we should check on the water temperature. An excessively hot shower will make you sweaty, concussing your night. Too cold water is also not recommended as it will increase your body temperature. See to it that the water temperature is not too extreme.
Arguments make you angry and going to bed angry should be avoided. One should be calm before going to bed to get a good sleep. Arguments disturb you mentally, and keeps you awake for long. The human body has a default mechanism of not sleeping in adverse situations, and an argument or fight can create such a situation.
Eating a heavy meal before going to bed can be bad for the digestive system. It may also cause heartburn due to acidity. Eating high-calorie foods before bed can also lead to weight gain. Eating processed or excessively salty foods can make you thirsty leading to excessive consumption of water, which has an ill effect too.
It's true that alcohol makes you sleepy, but that is only for the first half. It actually disturbs the sleep later. You may experience frequent awakenings, nightmares, headache, sweats, restlessness, and many more aftereffects. Cigarettes contain nicotine which resists sleep. You may feel that a smoke relaxes you or calms you down, but it only makes it difficult for you to sleep peacefully.
A famous Irish proverb aptly sums up the importance of good sleep, "A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.' Ample sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. When you wake up after a good night's sleep, not only do you feel fresh, but enthusiastic, happy, and energetic. So, avoid sleep-hampering activities at night and get the best sleep to begin the next morning cheerfully.