Luckily, melatonin is available in pill form at your local pharmacy as an over-the-counter supplement. This exposure to unnatural light prevents melatonin release, which can make it hard to fall asleep. These days, though, lights abound after it’s dark outside-whether it’s from your phone, laptop or TV. It’s triggered by the body’s response to reduced light exposure, which should naturally happen at night. “Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally released in the brain four hours before we feel a sense of sleepiness,” Gamaldo says. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try to avoid working out within two hours of bedtime. It can also raise core body temperature this spike signals the body that it’s time to get up and get going. (This is why you feel so energized after a run.) It’s known that moderate aerobic exercise boosts the amount of nourishing slow wave (deep) sleep you get.īut you have to time it right: Gamaldo says that aerobic exercise releases endorphins, chemicals that keep people awake. Physical activity can improve sleep, though researchers aren’t completely sure why. Finally, tart cherry juice might support melatonin production and support a healthy sleep cycle.Įxercise . Plus, chamomile tea doesn’t have caffeine, unlike green tea or Earl Grey. “It’s believed to have flavonoids that may interact with benzodiazepine receptors in the brain that are also involved with the sleep-wake transition,” she says. This is a chemical building block for the substance serotonin, which is involved in the sleep-wake transition,” Gamaldo says.Ĭhamomile tea can also be helpful. “Warm milk has long been believed to be associated with chemicals that simulate the effects of tryptophan on the brain. She recommends them to patients who want treatment without side effects or drug interactions. Though there isn’t much scientific proof that any of these nighttime drinks work to improve your slumber, there’s no harm in trying them, Gamaldo says. Gamaldo recommends warm milk, chamomile tea and tart cherry juice for patients with sleep trouble. “There are natural ways to make adjustments to your sleeping habits.” Five tips for better sleepĭrink up. No, not alcohol, which can interfere with sleep. “It’s not always necessary to get a prescription for a sleep aid,” she says. Happily, there are easy, natural fixes that can improve your sleep, says Charlene Gamaldo, M.D. , medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital. It negatively affects your memory, concentration and mood, and it boosts your risk for depression, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Disturbed sleep is more than an inconvenience that leaves you dragging the next day: it can affect your emotional and physical health.
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