10 tips from an expert to improve sleep quality

Be “constant” in achieving good sleeping habits. It is the key given by the UNIR professor and researcher Noelia Ruiz Herrera to achieve and maintain good sleep hygiene, because, as the expert assures “We have all had, have or will have some sleep problem throughout our lives”.

In an interview with Europa Press, Ruiz Herrera reveals a gap in our sleeping habits that is especially evident in summer“because we start to go out more, we take everything much more relaxed, we go to bed later, we can take naps” or even the heat “which makes us sleep much worse at night.”

“In short –summarizes the expert– our schedule is out of date. If we go to bed later because we have trouble falling asleep or we even have more awakenings during the night, it will be much more difficult to wake up in the morning and that also leads us to tend to take more naps during the day.

This gap, in the end, causes “during the day we are sleepier, more irritable, it affects our optimism, our lack of alertness, it can make us concentrate worse or even have memory problems, with decision making”until they become “much more stressed, with more anxiety.”

Thus, “Over time, sleeping little or sleeping poorly becomes associated with greater health risks, with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or weakening of the immune system, so that not only at a cognitive level, but also at a physical level, consequences are observed.” From there, Ruiz deduces, “the importance of recovering those good sleeping habits.”

Decalogue

To do this, he proposes a decalogue, which begins with “establish fixed times to go to bed and get up every day, even on weekends, always at the same time”. It is important that, in any case, “the difference in sleep schedule is as small as possible, less than an hour” and that, when it comes to readjusting, it is little by little “changing about 15-30 minutes each day.”

To this he adds avoid stimulants –caffeine, nicotine–, heavy meals, spicy foods and alcohol late in the day; being “very comfortable in our room”, with an environment conducive to sleep, “dark, calm, cool, without distractions” – with special mention of screens -; or dedicate “a relaxing time before going to sleep”, with activities “that help slow down.”

For the UNIR expert, it is also “It is very important that we expose ourselves to light during the day, that we do not spend the day indoors or without sunlight“, since this exposure is “fundamental for regulating our circadian rhythm.”

A decalogue that is completed by pointing out that the nap, “if we can eliminate it, we eliminate it, and if not, in moderation, let it be early in the afternoon and very short, no more than 20 or 30 minutes”; not to stop doing sports, “in the first part of the day, but let’s do it,” because in this way “we give our dream a reason to exist”; and, above all, “that we be very patient, that we be consistent, that this does not last two days, we have to create a habit and that takes time.”

Preferences

Noelia Ruiz points out that “There is a percentage, around 70% of the population, that we are more or less adaptable to day or night, but there are other percentages of the population that are extremely morning peoplethat is, they work well in the morning, or they are extremely evening-oriented, that is, they prefer the afternoon hours, so that their peak of physical and mental performance is either in the morning or in the afternoon.

That’s why, There is no recommended time to go to bed or get up“each person will set the schedule, each person’s work, each person’s routine.”

Thus, “if you work in the morning, it is important that you get up early in the morning so that you have time to have breakfast, activate your system and go; and if you work in the afternoon and your peak of physical and mental performance is during those hours and you prefer to go to bed a little later and get up a little later, fine too, because “The important thing is to be consistent in your habits.”.

The problem, obviously, would be for a person who works shifts, for whom the UNIR expert recommends “trying to compensate ourselves in other aspects”, to reach “get that routine of habits, with that we would be satisfied”.

However, Ruiz points out that “waking up at night does not necessarily have to be a problem, it is something that normally happens to all human beings.”

“We are accustomed,” he explains, “to the fact that we have organized our lives around functioning in the morning, sleeping at night, and at night we cannot bear or find it difficult to understand that we have to wake up. It is very easy for us to hear a fly, it is very easy for there to be a noise, for us to perceive a light. That is, awakenings are very common. There are awakenings that we perceive, and there are awakenings that we simply turn over and continue sleeping.”.

In any case, if the dream appears “fragmented and we are continually subjecting ourselves to awakening,” he defends that “Much more emphasis should be placed on the issue of high-intensity physical exercise, to the extent of our possibilities, that is, getting tired of a lifetime”.

And if, even following the routines and being consistent in them, sleep problems or even insomnia persist, “There we could consult a specialist, because we could be having some greater difficulty”.

Time change and back to school

Regarding the possible influence of time change on sleep, Ruiz points out that “our body has learned that when there is light, we function, and when there is darkness, we are in a state of stillness, we are calm and we are resting.”“.

“What happens when it’s nighttime at 5 p.m., and our body is still activated? That you have to unlearn a pattern and, again, you have to focus on routine,” he emphasizes.

Going back to school also affects sleep, in this case, of the little ones, “who are especially sensitive to time changes,” to which the UNIR expert adds that “sleep and rest are key to learning, attention, emotional regulation, diet, and growth”.

In this sense, for the return to school, Noelia Ruiz recommends “more or less the same as with adults: we return to the schedules little by little, advancing the time of going to bed and waking up.” between 15 and 30 minutes each day until we reach the schedule, which must always be the same, including weekends.

suitable environment, “The issue of screens outside before bed is especially important with children”have a relaxing activity before going to sleep, “let them do enough exercise during the day”, “put them in the light” and, also important, “sugary or stimulant drinks, soft drinks, tea, or chocolate, avoid them especially in the afternoon.”

And yes, with everything, “The child continues to have insomnia, if he has very loud snoring, if he has pauses when breathing, it is recommended that we take him to the pediatrician or specialist.”