If you think eight hours of sleep is a waste of time, read the conclusions of some research. In one of them, experts dealt with aspects of health and age, and the conclusion is Lack of sleep – poor concentration. From this, it is clear why a large number of people spend their time at work unconcentrated, that is, dreaming that they are somewhere outside.
It is obvious
This conclusion may be obvious, but the majority of the population still does not understand only a few extra minutes of sleep make a big difference – to be precise, 16 minutes.
The authors point out that the connection between sleep and cognitive functions was more noticeable during working days, compared to rest days – probably because the respondents enjoyed fewer opportunities to rest and sleep during the working week.
Put differently, lack of sleep significantly affects your productivity. The results precisely indicate that if you limit your sleep time to 4-5 hours, it will noticeably affect your productivity the next day.
Worst cases
The worst cases include people who do not have a direct line between work and vacation time (freelancers) because for them, answering emails and answering the phone is constant. People who have this lifestyle, in addition to poor productivity, also have a problem with poor sleep quality – insomnia.
How to help yourself quickly
Make yourself switch off – completely. At least turn off the sound on your phone for a while. Also, don’t look at the email. Try going to bed earlier than you set. This way you will fall asleep more relaxed. Regular training will also take you to a calmer and more relaxed sleep. As for emails, employers are expected to meet you hereby not expecting you to respond to emails (and calls) late at night.
Beat insomnia
It is as clear as day how irreplaceable sleep during the night is. These five tricks will help you fight insomnia and sleep like a baby:
Leave the house tidy
Wash the dishes and put everything in its place before going to bed – it turns out that this will make it 60% easier to fall asleep. Departing from the house in a mess will increase the level of the stress hormone in the blood – cortisol. Plus, avoid eating, studying, or reading in the bed you sleep in – reserve this place only for sleeping, in the dark.
Cooldown
To fall asleep, the temperature in the abdominal part of the body must drop by a few degrees. A warm shower before bed speeds up this process because the body suddenly cools down after this. Take into account the temperature of the room in which you sleep – apart from the fact that it should be dark and quiet in your surroundings, you also sleep better if the room is colder. It is optimally between 64-72ºF.
Relax
Around 11 pm, the level of cortisol in the blood drops sharply and the body begins to release melatonin. Scientists also advise that before you fall asleep, imagine a mountain, relaxing and calm – because such a picture will drive away insomnia. Careful with imagination.
Run the race to the end
It often happens that after the second phase of sleep you are ready to wake up – to avoid that, you run in the afternoon. Exercises for the cardiovascular system will stabilize the concentration of cortisol in the blood for at least the next 10 hours, which will significantly reduce the chances of waking up in the middle of the night.
Cereals for better sleep
Consume something two hours before going to bed. Foods rich in carbohydrates will speed up the flow of the amino acid that places you to sleep, tryptophan, to the brain. Just be careful — if you eat just before going to bed, it will make it harder for you to sleep, and if you still watch TV on it — the situation is far worse.