Six Ways to Improve Sleep Quality

Sleep is the body’s recovery process through resting to prepare for the new day. However, there are times when we experience poor sleep quality, especially during stressful periods when it is hard to sleep. Poor sleep quality can also pave the way for various health problems. Chest Diseases Specialist from Memorial Bahçelievler Hospital Sleep Center, Prof.  Dr Sinem İlaz, gave information about poor sleep quality. 

Poor sleep wears the body down

Poor sleep quality can be defined as insufficient sleep time, waking up often, and not feeling rested. There are some key points to take into consideration for better sleep quality. It would help if you did not go to bed too late and avoided alcohol, tea, or coffee close to bedtime.

Sleep time varies for each individual

Sleep makes a significant contribution to the development of children. Babies grow up with sleep since, with each sleep phase, they gather energy which is a repetitive cycle until they get tired again and go back to sleep. The need for sleep decreases with age. An adult may need an average of 7-8 hours of sleep. This period may vary from person to person. While some people need 10 hours of sleep a day to maintain their daily functioning, others are very comfortable with 5-6 hours of sleep.

Poor sleep increases the risk of accidents and illness

The immune system weakens, and the body may become vulnerable to infections if you do not get an adequate amount of good quality sleep. Therefore, you will be prone to diseases frequently. Sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by cessation of breathing during sleep. If it is not diagnosed and treated, it can cause traffic and work accidents due to excessive daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure and rhythm disorders that are difficult to control.

Pay attention to these to improve sleep quality:

  1. In order to get the 7-8 hours of sleep required for adults, one should go to bed before it’s too late.
  2. The bedroom should be ventilated daily, bed linens should be changed frequently, and comfortable loose clothes should be preferred.
  3. A quiet and dark room facilitates falling asleep and releasing melatonin. The light should not reflect directly on the face if the person needs a light source.
  4. Drinking a lot of fluids, drinking alcohol, tea and coffee close to bedtime are not recommended as they will impair sleep quality.
  5. Spending a long time with a smartphone, tablet and TV, white light sources, is not recommended before bedtime, as it will be stimulating.
  6. Complaints such as snoring, witnessed apnea, excessive daytime sleepiness or waking up in the morning feeling not rested might indicate sleep apnea. It is recommended to go to outpatient clinics to be evaluated in terms of sleep apnea syndrome to get a diagnosis and initiate treatment.

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