HOW TO IMPROVE SLEEP QUALITY IN QUARANTINE - LIFESTYLE

5 remedies to help you sleep in quarantine

For many, quarantine has dramatically impaired sleep quality. Thoughts, worries, irregular rhythms, all this and much more can significantly alter your psyche and the risk is to spend whole nights in the grip of insomnia. Without necessarily having to resort to anxiolytics, here are 5 remedies with which to deal with the problem in a natural way and, hopefully, solve it!

1. Regular rhythms

To prevent the quarantine from upsetting us further, let's commit ourselves to maintaining a certain regularity at least in the timetables. Were you used to going to bed and waking up at a certain time before the pandemic? Well, keep doing it.Maintaining a semblance of routine even in quarantine will help you find your balance, protecting you from the risk of falling into a home “jet lag”. So, let's be clear, no binge-watching nights of your favorite TV series!

2. Physical activity

Are the gyms closed? No problem. Your home can be transformed into a private and super functional sports center. Indeed, you can do physical activity in complete intimacy, without having to fight to the death to win your place on the only free treadmill. The Internet is full of tutorials with the most diverse workouts, just browse here and there to find the one that suits you best. Dedicating to at least 30 minutes of physical activity 3 days a week is a healthy habit that can bring benefits not only to your figure, but also to the quality of sleep. In fact, sport will tire your body, allowing you to fall into a deep sleep as soon as you touch the pillow. The best time to train? The morning! In fact, a study published in the National Library of Medicine in the United States reveals that doing sports in the early morning not only provides the energy needed to face the day, but also leads to a drop in blood pressure at night, making us immediately feel more relaxed.

3. Balanced diet

Diet plays a vital role in sleep management. The consequences of poor eating habits can affect the quality of our sleep, as well as our physical health. To fall asleep faster, avoid excessive consumption of stimulants such as coffee and sugary / energy drinks, especially after 2 pm, when the nervous system is no longer able to absorb them and you will end up spending sleepless nights in the throes of hyperactivity. Skipping dinner is also not the ideal solution. Instead, opt for light but starchy foods that will make you feel full without resorting to nighttime snacks. A diet based on low glycemic index carbohydrates such as wholemeal bread, whole grains (bulgur, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat), pasta al dente, legumes, vegetables and fresh fruit, is the best choice to help you sleep.

4. No technological devices

An hour or two before going to sleep, do an extreme gesture: disconnect from any technological device. Keep tablets, smartphones and computers away from your eyes. These screens, projecting a strong blue light, are highly harmful as they inhibit the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating the balance between sleep and wakefulness. So, when you approach your bed, avoid spending too much time shaking your Instagram home or texting until late at night. In this case, falling asleep could cost you a lot of effort and your sleep would risk being interrupted, not infrequently, by annoying awakenings. An advice? Give yourself to reading a good book!

5. Breathing exercises

The breathing technique devised by Harvard PhD student Andrew Weil can mark the definitive turning point in your sleep routine. Doing breathing exercises is a real panacea for the quality of your sleep! Weil's “4-7-8” method will help you fall asleep in less than a minute. Here is a brief guide on how to do it:

Sit straight, letting your feet touch the ground
Stick the tongue to the roof of the mouth, behind the teeth
Start by exhaling all the air into your lungs
Breathe in slowly with your mouth closed and count to 4
Hold your breath for a count of 7
Finally, exhale through your mouth for a count of 8

Repeat this simple exercise three times in a row twice a day. Of course, this technique doesn't work wonders and doesn't work on the first try. You need to be patient and wait between 4 and 6 weeks to see noticeable results.