Rebecca Palacios |
Logroño (EFE).- Insomnia caused by high nighttime temperatures not only causes physical fatigue and reduced mental performance, but also harms the immune system, reduces creativity and affects optimism, according to EFE, psychologist Noelia Ruiz Herrera assured.
This professor of psychology at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR) confirmed that a large percentage of the population has had, has or will have sleep problems throughout their lives, and this situation is exacerbated with the increase in the number of thermometers in the summer. .
To avoid “white night” due to the heat, which causes “lighter and more fragmented” sleep, he recommended “good sleep hygiene”, which includes sleeping in a comfortable bed located in a noise-isolated room. in complete darkness.
Wear cool, breathable clothing, take a shower before bed to regulate your body temperature, and ventilate the room at about 25 degrees without using air conditioning because it dries your throat badly is another of his tips.
Go to bed sleepy, not tired
The key is to “isolate as much as possible, as they did in the old days in the caves, to protect our sleep,” said this doctor of psychology from the University of Granada.
In addition, this expert advocates “avoiding the use of stimulant substances” because the goal is to go to bed “drowsy, which is different from just being tired.”
In this sense, he pointed out that it is better not to do intense exercise just before bedtime, as this can cause the person to be “physically very tired, but their brain is very active”, making it difficult for them to fall. sleeping.
Ruiz Herrera explained that it’s also hard to fall asleep if you’re anxious, which is why he advocates “getting the worries out of the bed, because the bed isn’t for thinking or problem solving.”
avoid daytime naps
This university professor claims that while this advice “may hurt some,” daytime naps should be avoided if insomnia is a problem.
However, for people who get up very early and need a midday nap, it is recommended that it be a “short” nap, around 20 minutes.
If the sleep is longer, the body goes into a sleep phase where it completely shuts down, so muscle recovery occurs.
“What if we woke up in the middle of this phase? Well, we stood up like we were beaten,” he added.
Stable routines and schedules
To ensure good sleep hygiene, it is important to keep the biological clock “on time” in order to maintain a stable schedule and a consistent daily routine.
Thus, he emphasized, more than always going to bed at the same time, it was “more important” to get up at the same time, even if he had a “bad night, hardly slept.”
In his opinion, the biological clock should be taught to wake up at the same time and avoid daytime sleep, because at night “you will see a dream that you cannot bear.”
Another key to good sleep is “avoiding the use of blue light devices or any device that stimulates the brain,” including an e-reader.
“If a person is in complete darkness, he gives a command to his brain to rest and recuperate. But if there is light, the brain is still active,” he reflected.
