By: Sosan Hua, RD, CDE

我們都知道睡眠對身心健康的重要性。 研究表明，睡眠質素差或睡眠不足可能會增加許多健康問題的風險，包括但不限於心臟病、高血壓、糖尿病、中風和肥胖¹。 事實上，我們根本不需要研究來告訴我們睡眠的重要性。 僅僅一天的睡眠不足我們就能體會到為什麼需要睡眠。 當你睡眠不足時，你有什麼感覺？ 覺得累嗎？ 有沒有注意到你感覺更餓了，或者想吃更多碳水化合物或甜食？ 有沒有注意到你的情緒變化？ 如果你注意到了，那就需要著重改善你的睡覺。

很多時，人們都是由於過於疲憊而無法保持每天的活力。 我們需要在前一天的晚上就著重改善我們的睡眠，從而為明天做好準備。 睡眠的質素和時間都很重要。 有些人在 6 小時優質的睡眠下就能獲得足夠的休息，但有些人則需要至少 8 小時的睡眠。 你的睡眠時間是否影響你第二天的狀態？ 首先記錄你的睡眠並評估你的能量水平，從而調整適合你的睡眠時間。 就像你的手提裝置需要充電才能達到 100%狀態。 睡眠就像是為人體充電以使其發揮最佳狀態，因此當身體未充滿電時（未達到 100%），則需要在白天反覆充電。

以下貼士可幫助你優化睡眠並重新為身體充電，讓你可以逐漸提升能量，使身體發揮最佳狀態。

• 把睡眠放在首位——不要只說不做，要做得到並做好安排。
• 記錄你的睡眠——你幾點鐘睡覺，你幾點鐘醒來，你在夜間醒來多少次，你醒來後是否能立即入睡，你需要多長時間才能入睡——你對自己了解得越多，就越能找到幫助自己的方法。
• 白天練習深呼吸，讓你的身體平靜下來，並擁有安寧的睡眠。
• 根據你的睡眠習慣，中午 12 點或下午 2 點後避免攝取咖啡因。
• 至少睡前30 分鐘關閉所有電子或手提裝置。對於某些人來說，他們可能需要 1 小時才能安頓下來。
• 躺在床上並做伸展和深呼吸，讓你的身體平靜下來。
• 避免飲酒——許多人認為酒精可以幫助他們在夜間放鬆和入睡，但它實際上會影響睡眠質量。
• 避免在晚上大吃大喝或在深夜進食。
• 白天保持水分——在白天飲用大部份你所需要的水份，這樣可以減少半夜醒來小便的機會
• 動起來——白天從步行 30 分鐘開始，這會幫助你在晚上睡得更好。
• 安排有規律的睡眠模式——每天在同一時間睡覺和起床，即使在周末也是如此。
• 優化你的睡房環境——使用較弱的燈光、保持房間涼爽和控制噪音。

下次當你感到疲倦時，與其喝一杯咖啡，不如著重於更優質的睡眠。 它會会為你的能量水平創造奇蹟。 你有哪些日常和夜間活動可以讓你在晚上睡得更好？ 請在評論中分享。

We all know the importance of sleep and our physical and mental health.  Research has shown that poor sleep or lack of sleep may put you at risk of many health problems including and not limited to heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and obesity¹.  Truthfully, we don’t really need research to tell us how important sleep is.  Just one day of sleep deprivation is enough to tell us why we need sleep.  How do you feel when you don’t get enough sleep?  Do you feel tired? Do you notice you are hungrier or crave more carbs or sweets?  Do you notice your mood changes?  If so, it is important for us to prioritize our sleep.

Most of the time, people can’t build a habit of keeping themselves active daily due to feeling tired or worn out.  If we focus on improving our sleep the night before, it is exactly what we need to kick start the next day.  The quality and quantity of sleep does matter. Some people function well with 6 hours of quality sleep while others need at least 8 hours of sleep.  Is the number of hours you need based upon how you feel the next day?  Start with journaling your sleep and assessing your energy levels to fine-tune the amount that is right for you.  Like your mobile device which needs charging to reach 100%.  Sleep is like charging for the human body to function optimally so when it is not charged completely (does not reach 100%), you need to recharge again and again during the day to function.

Here are the tips to help you optimize your sleep and re-charge so you can increase your energy to function optimally day after day.

• Make sleep a priority – don’t just say it, mean it and schedule it.
• Journal your sleep – what time do you sleep, what time do you wake up, how many times do you wake up during the night, can you fall asleep right away when you wake up, how long does it takes you to fall asleep – the more you know about yourself, the more you can find a solution to help yourself.
• Practice deep breathing during the day, so you calm your body for a restful sleep.
• Avoid caffeine after 12 noon or 2pm depending on your sleep routine.
• Turn off any electronic or mobile device at least 30 minutes prior to sleep. For some people, they may need 1 hour to settle in.
• Stretch and do deep breathing to calm your body on your bed.
• Avoid alcohol – many people think alcohol can help them unwind and drift off at night, but it actually affects the quality of sleep.
• Avoid heavy meals or eating late in the evening.
• Stay hydrated during the day – drink the majority of your liquid during the day so you reduce the chance of waking up in the middle of the night to urinate
• Get moving – start with walking for 30 minutes during the day, it will help you to sleep better at night.
• Set a regular sleep pattern – sleep and wake up at the same time daily even on the weekends.
• Optimize your bedroom environment – a dim light, keeping the room cool, and noise control.

Next time when you are feeling tired, instead of grabbing a cup of joe, focus on more quality sleep.  It will do wonders for your energy levels. What are some of your daily and nightly routines to achieve better sleep at night? Share those in the comments.

參考資料Reference:

1 https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency

admin

0 Comments

admin