The Importance of Sleep (Pt. 2)

Millions of people do not get enough sleep to maintain a healthy lifestyle. A study in the USA by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) revealed that at least 60% of adults report having sleep problems at least several nights a week, and as many as 69% of children experiencing the same issues.
 
There are a variety of ways you can help to improve your sleep. Massage therapy can help improve sleep in two primary ways. The first is through alleviating stress. Stress is known to affect sleep, with massage reducing stress by decreasing cortisol (a hormone associated with stress). The other way that massage can help with sleep is by managing pain and tension caused by stress or injury. Pain and sleep loss can exacerbate one another, leading to a vicious cycle.
 
Another big factor is your diet. Try to avoid heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of sleeping. Stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine are proven to negatively affect your quality of sleep, as well as alcohol which plays a role in disrupting your sleep throughout the night. Exercise and physical activity are also important for sleep, especially regular physical activity throughout the week. Multiple studies have documented how moderate-to-vigorous exercise can increase sleep quality in adults.
 
Meditation and a healthy bedtime routine also play positive roles in helping you to sleep better. Meditation can help to reduce your levels of anxiety, whilst avoiding prolonged use of light-emitting screens just before bedtime can increase your brain’s production of the much-needed melatonin to aid healthy sleep.
 
It is important to take your sleep health seriously and commit to healthy habits in order to give yourself the best sleep you can. Poor quality sleep affects everything else, so it makes sense to invest in your sleep health in order to generally feel healthier.