Sleep is a key component of a healthy person. Healthy sleep is very important

They say that a full sleep has the same beneficial effect on appearance as cosmetic procedures. How do you need to sleep in order to wake up beautiful in the morning?

Irina Polushkina, Togliatti

Anna Stenko, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Head of the Department of the Institute of Plastic Surgery and Cosmetology answers:

A third of a person's life is spent sleeping. It is no coincidence that nature intended this way: the body regularly needs not only rest, but also “repair and maintenance work” - at night the skin is renewed, intensive hormonal and metabolic processes take place in the body.

Those who constantly save on sleep eventually pay for it with prematurely withered skin. It becomes gray, lethargic (due to lack of sleep, metabolic processes in the epidermis are disturbed), and dark circles appear under the eyes - lack of sleep causes the expansion of blood vessels. Sound sleep may well replace expensive cosmetics for toning and freshening the skin.

Rules for good sleep:

Go to bed before midnight. The optimal time is from 22.00 to 23.00.
Teach yourself to go to bed at a certain time - thanks to this, a conditioned reflex will appear, contributing to easy falling asleep and deeper sleep.
Do not drink coffee after 2 pm. The effects of caffeine last longer than you might think.
Do not try to sleep "in reserve" - this is guaranteed to lead to nighttime insomnia. If you fall asleep during the day on the go - take a nap for an hour after dinner, but do not try to get enough sleep. On weekends, it is also not recommended to sleep until noon - 1-2 hours of extra sleep is enough.
Sleep in the dark - forget about nightlights, hang blackout curtains on the windows that will protect you from the light of lanterns and advertising signs. Melatonin, necessary for the restoration of the body, is produced only in the dark. Even a weak light source is enough to stop the production of melatonin.
Do not eat at night, during dinner, avoid fatty and indigestible foods. The process of digestion of food takes about 3-4 hours. And until this process is completed, there can be no talk of resting the body.
Do not brainstorm after 21:00 - devote it to more pleasant things: reading, communicating with loved ones, etc. A gradual decrease in mental activity by the end of the day helps to fall asleep more easily.
Ventilate the bedroom - fresh air has a hypnotic effect. Therefore, it is recommended to sleep in a well-ventilated room. It is best to take a walk before bed. If it doesn’t work out, go out onto the balcony or breathe near an open window.
Drink a sleeping pill - make yourself herbal tea from chamomile, mint, lavender, oregano, lemon balm and drink in slow sips before going to bed. This will not only help you quickly fall asleep, but also have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin. Another classic "sleeping pill" is warm milk with honey. But do not overdo it with the amount of honey: a teaspoon of honey relaxes, a tablespoon - tones up.
Create a bedtime ritual - it could be a good book, a conversation with a friend or mom on the phone.
Take a bath. The bath will help not only to relax, but also to fully cleanse the skin, which will make it the most receptive to cosmetics.
Ensure the optimum temperature for sleep. Because a night's sleep in a stuffy room is a guarantee of a morning headache. The optimal temperature for the room in which you sleep is 18-20 degrees. It is better to dress warmly, cover yourself with a blanket - but sleep in a cool place. You can accustom yourself to this by gradually lowering the temperature in the bedroom.

Choose the right bedding

The main requirement is convenience and comfort. To fall asleep, you need to completely relax. If something causes discomfort, the risk of insomnia increases dramatically.

Pillow:

The ideal height is 5-9 cm - this provides support for the cervical curve.

Rigidity depends on your favorite position: for those who sleep on their side, a high and hard pillow is recommended, for those who like to sleep on their stomach - low and soft, on their back - a rectangular shape, wider than their shoulders.

The pillow must not only be chosen correctly, but also to sleep on it correctly.:

The pillow should lie on the shoulders (and not vice versa).

The head should be "drowned in the pillow."

Shoulders - supported by a pillow from below.

Fillers:

Doctors are wary of any natural fillers: fluff, feathers, buckwheat husks, etc. They quickly absorb dirt and moisture, dry slowly and require special care (usually dry cleaning). And in the absence of proper care, they quickly turn into a source of fungi, mold, mites, bacteria and room dust.

Synthetic materials are hypoallergenic, safe from the point of view of infectious problems, hold their shape well and are breathable. They can be washed in a washing machine at 45 degrees, and the affordable price allows you to change them as needed. The pillow should be washed once every 2-3 weeks.

special means:

Ergonomic cushions

(with a cushion under the neck and a notch under the back of the head) prevent a change in posture during sleep. This is not very good, from the point of view of somnologists - any restrictions worsen the quality of sleep.

Orthopedic pillows

shown to people with disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The shape and size of orthopedic pillows are selected strictly individually. If there are no problems, it makes no sense to spend money on an expensive pillow: as a preventive measure, an orthopedic pillow is useless.

Use night makeup

In the arsenal of a woman of any age there should be a night cream (if we are talking about girls 30+, then not one). The principle of operation of night and day creams is different. Day creams provide protection, hydration and nourishment. Night - nutrition, recovery and detox. In addition, the concentration of active ingredients in night creams is higher than in day creams.

Apply cream 1-2 hours before bedtime

Immediately before going to bed, excess cream should be removed with a napkin - they clog pores and form a film on the skin. A generous application of cream is the most common cause of morning swelling of the face.

Use One Line Tools

It is necessary to change creams, because addiction occurs to any means. But at the same time it is better to apply face cream and eye cream of the same brand - they will complement and enhance each other's action.

Twice a week choose a more intense treatment

Night masks contain the maximum concentration of active ingredients. They are applied in a thick layer, but their texture is such that the mask does not clog pores and does not stain linen.

Don't Ignore Serums

After 40 years, serums must be used - they contain shock doses of the ingredients necessary to restore mature skin.

Don't forget your hands and feet

Thoroughly clean the skin of your hands with a scrub, apply a rich nourishing cream, put on gloves (you can use ordinary cotton household gloves, you can use special cosmetic ones) - and you will admire your velvet hands all day long.

At night, rub the oil into the cuticles - this will save money and time on manicure trips.

There are special products for softening the rough skin of the feet. They are applied at night, socks are put on top, in the morning the product is washed off and a regenerating cream is applied.

Hello everyone, friends. We would like to ask you the following questions. How important is sleep to you? Are you a lark or an owl? Today our topic is about healthy sleep. Sleep is a natural physiological process of being in a state with a minimum level of brain activity and a reduced reaction to the outside world.

Such is the nature that sleep is very necessary for a person, in addition to his active existence. The longer a person does not sleep, the worse he begins to feel. This is an axiom. Believe it or check it out.

your dream

Sleep is an invaluable source of not only well-being and good mood, it also contributes to the preservation of beauty and youth. In the process of sleep, all the vital functions of the human body are restored. Waking up in the morning, and most importantly after sleeping, you become wiser, stronger, you have new emotions, immunity is restored.

After all, it is not in vain that when a person falls ill, he always wants to sleep. And why? The fact is that the body requires its own reboot in order to help. Remember such a famous phrase: "Morning is wiser than evening" or "Lie down, sleep and everything will pass." These old sayings never lose their relevance. But not everything is as simple as it might seem to us at first glance.

It would seem that it could be simpler, went to bed when I felt like it and that's it ... Business something)) But, for example, sleep cannot be healthy if you spent half the night walking in a bar, drinking alcohol, returned home at 3-4 in the morning. At 7 o'clock in the morning you need to get up abruptly on an alarm clock and run to college or work. This process is most often called - "youth" or "it turned out as always."

The results of disturbed sleep

Anxious sleep, unlike healthy sleep, has few advantages: the brain cannot relax, and when you wake up in the morning, you feel tired. Mankind complains of insomnia, resorting to sleeping pills in desperation. But this is a double-edged sword - at first you can fall asleep, but in the future, sleep becomes more restless, and then the sleeping pills completely stop working.

And, here the opinion appears that you are an OWL, not a lark, and the nightlife is very suitable for you, because it is very interesting in its essence. But this is a very big mistake. Yes, youth is a feeling when you want everything and everything is possible. You need to try everything in your life, but everything has a measure. Remember yourself now, if you don’t get enough sleep, what happens to you at the moment when you are awakened and you need to go somewhere, but you really don’t want to.

I am sure that you are very annoyed at this moment, swearing or angry at the whole world around you. But who is to blame for the fact that it was you who did not get enough sleep? Your friends or acquaintances? Perhaps someone else? No, believe me, except you, no one is to blame for the fact that you woke up in a bad mood due to the fact that you slept for only a few hours.

I can't argue with the fact that there are many people in our world who have no problem sleeping! They go to bed when they feel like it and wake up refreshed and refreshed. They fall asleep perfectly everywhere and always, and can afford a cup of coffee in the evening. But alas, there are also many people suffering from sleep disorders.

Sleep factors experts

Experts have proven that more than a third of the population suffers from insomnia or other sleep disorders that prevent night rest and recovery. In the absence of healthy sleep, the possibility of a productive day life is sharply reduced.

Healthy, restful sleep is an important factor that positively affects health, especially in our stressful time. Sleepless nights can and should be left in the past. Establish healthy sleep habits and you will be able to get rid of insomnia and achieve healthy sleep without intermediate awakenings.

It has been found that the human body tolerates lack of sleep much harder than hunger. Normal people cannot stand without sleep for more than two days - they involuntarily fall asleep, and during daytime work they may experience short-term dreams and naps, even imperceptible to others.

Usually an adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep. But of course, all people sleep differently, some need more time to rest, some less. Determine how many hours of sleep you personally need to get enough sleep and feel good in the morning. But remember that trying to sleep more than your body needs will make you feel bad all day long. No wonder some people notice: "I've been rushing about all morning, now I'm all broken." But it was simply necessary to get out of bed on time.

Following simple tips, you can not only normalize your sleep, but also make it healthy, and you are guaranteed good health!

Try to go to bed before 24:00 approximately between 22:00 and 23:00.
Do not eat before bed at least 1-2 hours before ...
Try not to take stimulating drinks in the evening.
Breathe fresh air before bed.
Do not engage in mental and physical work immediately before bedtime - this leads to overexcitation and difficulty falling asleep. And it also contributes to the fact that in everything you begin to dream. But if you don’t know, then during this period your brain is actively working, and not resting.
Try not to watch TV in bed. The bedroom is a sleepy abode, it should tune in the appropriate way. Even if you are watching some interesting movie, turn off the TV, do not immediately go to bed. Take a shower.
A warm shower or bath with soothing herbs can help you fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly.
Instead of watching TV, make love to your loved one. Sex before bed sometimes helps to relieve tension, usually after it they quickly fall asleep and sleep soundly.
Don't use high pillows. The neck should be flush with the body.
Sleeping on your side is good for your spine and also reduces the chance of snoring.
The bedroom should be quiet and ventilated. Keep all electrical appliances away from you.
Pleasant music, recordings of the sound of the surf or birdsong contribute to a pleasant bedtime.
Do not drink alcohol and drinks containing caffeine (cocoa, coffee, tea) before going to bed.
Before going to bed, you should not think about problems and experiences, you will have time to think about them during the day. And in the evening it is best to relax and help the body fully relax and recover during a night's sleep. Relax your muscles as much as possible and think about something pleasant.
Turn off the light in the bedroom, otherwise the sleep is likely to be superficial, which will not allow your body to fully rest and recover.
Scientists recommend sleeping with your head to the north or east.
It is best to sleep more naked, and in case of freezing, take cover with an extra blanket, and not put on warm clothes.
The bed should be flat, not too soft and not too hard.
It is necessary to sleep in a horizontal position, preferably alternately - either on the right or on the left side. Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended.

The posture on the stomach is rejected, because, firstly, in this position the lower back is tense, the lumbar curve increases, the paravertebral muscles are shortened, which can cause pain in the lower back. Secondly, sleeping on the stomach limits mobility at the level of the cervicothoracic junction. Thirdly, in a position on the stomach, blood flow in the vertebral arteries that feed the trunk, cerebellum, and also the posterior parts of the cerebral hemispheres can be disturbed.

You need to wake up no later than 5-6 o'clock in the morning. The most healthy sleep is from 21-22 pm to 5-6 am, but in order to accustom yourself to such an early rise, you need to give yourself evening instructions, for example, "Tomorrow I have to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning."

In order to start a good mood in the morning, do not stay in bed for a long time, immediately after waking up, stretch, smile and get up. Do it slowly and with pleasure. It is best to start your morning not with breakfast, but with exercise.

Let your body wake up, do not immediately throw sandwiches or any other food into your stomach. The best way to get in a great mood and vivacity for the whole day from early morning is a light jog, doing stretching exercises. By introducing elementary and uncomplicated physical exercises into your morning life, you will change not only your life, but also yourself.

Within a few months, you will become a completely different person. You will start to do everything both in your studies (if you are still studying at school or university), and in work. You will be ahead of all your competitors if you are an entrepreneur.

Try it! You have nothing to lose if you try to innovate in your life. Just two actions will change your life:

Go to bed earlier and wake up earlier;
Do exercise after waking up. If you don’t like or for some reason can’t run, we suggest you read the article on our blog about Nordic walking. If you want to run, but haven’t decided what time you should do it, for example, in the morning or in the evening, read about the benefits of running in the morning at.

After you have done these two points, you can take a contrast shower and have breakfast. After that, you will still have a huge amount of time that you can spend on self-development or a leisurely walk to your place of work or study.

That's all the advice! Don't neglect your health! If you liked the article, share it on social networks. Write comments, we will be very happy. If you have not yet subscribed to our blog updates, do it right now. You will not regret.

That's all for today. We wish you good health! Be happy!

People rarely think about such a concept as "sleep norms and how much a person should ideally sleep." If he gets up in the morning refreshed and well-rested, then it would seem that it makes no difference whether a person slept for five, seven or ten hours. However, there are medically sound averages for healthy sleep duration, which can fluctuate for subjective reasons.

Definition and rules of healthy sleep

From the first days of the existence of a little man, they begin to accustom him to the daily routine, developing such concepts as “day is the time of wakefulness” and “night” is “time of rest”. These behavioral responses and sleep norms are further fixed for life.

But life is not a courier train moving exactly on schedule. Therefore, over time, the duration and rate of rest undergo changes. And what should be a healthy sleep, how much does a person need to sleep a day in order to feel rested, efficient and energetic?

In a dream, many biochemical processes take place that have a beneficial effect on all organs and systems of a person, get rid of the mental and physical fatigue accumulated during the day, and tone the body as a whole. Actions aimed at improving the quality of sleep are the key to its usefulness and viability.

Healthy sleep - the principles of its formation

The mechanism of strong normal dreaming is based on a number of observations, tips and recommendations from sleep experts.

Compliance with the daily routine. Try every day, regardless of weekends and vacation periods, to go to bed at night and get up in the morning at the same time. This contributes to a clear adherence to their internal biological clock - biorhythms. Villagers can serve as a good example - the centuries-old rural way of life with agrarian and livestock concerns has developed in them the habit of going to bed at sunset and getting up at dawn. Of course, today, especially in urban conditions, such a schedule is unattainable, but the very principle of constancy of the hours of going to bed and getting up in the morning is important here.
Optimal sleep duration. A healthy adult should sleep, according to scientists, at least 7-8 hours. However, sleep time is not the only metric that determines its benefits. The qualitative component is also important, because a healthy rest is a dream without awakening, lasting continuously. Therefore, a person often feels completely asleep, falling asleep even for 5-6 hours than if he slept for 8-9 hours, but restlessly and intermittently. However, it is generally accepted that healthy sleep should last 6-8 hours.
Waking up in the morning should not be accompanied by a long rise, you should not luxuriate in bed for a long time - there is a chance to fall asleep again. You can stretch a little to stretch your joints and limbs, and cheer up a little before starting a hard day.
The last hours before leaving for the realm of dreams should be spent in a calm, mood-setting atmosphere. It is better to refuse action films, programs with a high intensity of emotions or negative news. You don't need to be physically active either. Thoughts, feelings, all human organs should come into a state of harmony and peace.
You should not kemar during the day, especially for those who have trouble falling asleep. True, 15-20 minutes of a light nap often gives strength and clarity of thought, so a daytime siesta is a purely individual matter.
Physical activity, emotions, worries should fill the daylight hours. In the evening, you need to create a relaxing environment, with a light, light dinner, at least 2 hours before diving into the arms of Morpheus. Alcohol, smoking, coffee are the main enemies of healthy sleep.

A cozy bed, cool air in the bedroom, a positive attitude, complete darkness in the room - these factors will help you fall asleep quickly and serenely.

Average sleep duration

It should immediately be clarified that advice on how much a person needs to sleep per day is given for healthy people. For patients, long-term rest is necessary, he himself is a healing tool for restoring and increasing the body's defenses, to fight the disease.

If we consider the recommended sleep duration of 6-7-8 hours, then, based on the individual characteristics of the body, 5 hours is enough for someone to get up alert and rested (Napoleon can serve as an example). The well-known German physicist Einstein needed at least 10-12 hours to sleep.

A person, according to his own feelings, well-being and observations of the state of health, decides how much he needs to sleep.

And although the duration of dreams is influenced by the human factor and subjective reasons, for the average citizen, the figure of 8 hours is the most acceptable. In addition, the optimal duration of sleep varies depending on the age and gender of the person.

Sleep variability by age and gender

American scientists from the National Sleep Foundation have developed recommendations regarding the required number of hours of rest for various age groups. The inverse relationship between age and sleep duration is clearly shown in the table.

In addition, it was found that fluctuations in the duration of sleep negatively affect its quality and well-being. That is, the same number of hours of rest contributes to physical and spiritual health.

Men and women need about the same amount of time for healthy sleep - 8 hours. Finnish medical scientists calculated to the minute the required number of hours for men - 7 hours 42 minutes, for women the time was 7 hours 38 minutes. The data were determined on the basis of a survey of 3,700 respondents of both sexes.

However, there is another point of view: a woman needs at least 8 hours to fully recover, while a man needs 6.5-7 hours.

This postulate is substantiated by the differences in brain activity in the representatives of the stronger and weaker sex. It has been proven that women have more complex brain activity, they are able to simultaneously solve multiple tasks and process the amount of information 5 times faster than their male counterparts. And since sleep is the time to "reset" the neurons of the brain, women need additional time to resume vigorous activity.

Regardless of the gender of the person, those whose work is related to solving complex problems and making important decisions need longer rest than workers with less responsible responsibilities.

The most useful time for sleep

People who prefer to go to bed well after midnight and get up at 10-11 o'clock in the afternoon believe that they fully fill the need for a good rest. But this is far from true. The centuries-old experience of our ancestors indicates that it is most useful to go to bed 3-4 hours after sunset.

A table of the value and importance of sleep has been compiled, and according to it:

The time from 22 o'clock is the stage of the revival of the central nervous system.
The dawn hours from 4 to 5 in the morning are the time of Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, the symbol of the new coming day.
The next hour symbolizes harmony and peace.
The interval from 6.00 to 7.00 is a period of freshness and cheerfulness.

Thus, the effective time for overnight recovery is the hours before midnight. During this time period, the regeneration of nerve cells of the whole organism occurs, sleep has a rejuvenating and healing effect.

Is sleeping during the day good or bad?

A number of European countries, especially the Mediterranean countries, practice a daytime siesta - a short afternoon rest. Of course, this is also due to the peculiarities of the climate (it is hard to work in the midday heat), but it was also noticed that even a short half-hour rest gives a new influx of energy, increases visual and mental concentration, and increases efficiency.

In this case, the main thing is not to overdo it. The optimal time for a daytime nap is no more than 30 minutes. Prolonged daytime sleep leads to an imbalance in the human biological clock, causes headache, lethargy and apathy. And at night there will be difficulties with falling asleep.

Many beliefs are associated with a bad dream at sunset. The time between 16 and 17 hours is considered the worst for rest, because according to the legends of the ancient Slavs, the sun, leaving the horizon, draws and takes away the energy of a sleeping person. During this period, Morpheus does not add strength, but shortens the hours of life, a person gets up not rested, but exhausted. To believe or not to believe in myths is everyone's business, but doctors do not recommend sleep during this time period. Even if you really want to sleep, it is better to wait a little, endure and lie down closer to the night.

Lack of sleep or oversleeping - two phenomena with negative consequences

As you know, there are 24 hours in a day. In the case of a person's daily routine, the rule of three eights applies: 8 hours for work, 8 for rest, and the remaining 8 for sleep. Eight hours of sleep for work is a constant established by labor laws. But with the other two eights, any transformations take place. The hours of night rest are subjected to especially great changes. People either solve pressing matters through sleep, or prefer to get away from problems, plunging into night dreams.

The result is lack of sleep or oversleeping. Both of these have a negative effect on the body.

Lethargy, apathy, isolation.
A decrease in the production of serotonin - the hormone of joy, as a result, a depressive complex develops, a person becomes nervous and irritable.
Decrease in working capacity, analytical abilities, logical thinking.
There are signs of external aging and physical deterioration.
Health problems of all organs and systems.

Consequences of oversleeping:

Depression, drowsiness, causing a person to fall into oblivion again.
Pain of a neuralgic and somatic nature, as the normal oxygen supply of the blood flow is disturbed, plus a long position of the body in one position causes numbness of the limbs and muscles.
Weak physical activity leads to weight gain.

Even a Russian proverb was invented about the danger of a long sleep: Whoever sleeps the most lives the least.

As can be seen from the comparison of two negative disorders of somnological behavior, it is most useful to stick to the golden mean and practice 7-8 hours of rest. A healthy, full-fledged sleep indicates a clear and well-organized work of human organs and systems, any violations, especially chronic ones, serve as an indicator of the manifestation of failures in the functioning of the body, which cannot be ignored.

Almost every person at least once faced with insomnia or other sleep disorders. The reasons may be obvious (for example, stress at work), but sometimes a healthy sleep does not come even because of a mug of tea drunk before bedtime or the light of a night lamp breaking through the darkness. Today we will tell you how easy it is to fall asleep and wake up in a good mood.

The high pace of life is an integral feature of the modern world. In order to be in time, many sacrifice their sleep. It would seem that invigorating coffee in the morning can remove the feeling of lack of sleep, but lack of sleep tends to accumulate. Subsequently, when shortening sleep time, loss of concentration, nervous strain, chronic fatigue syndrome and many other health problems can occur. To avoid diseases, you must follow the rules of good sleep. Then you will not only strengthen your body, but also increase your efficiency!

The best time to sleep

To determine, you should know that sleep is a cyclic process. Each cycle takes about an hour and a half. According to scientists, if you wake up exactly after the end of the cycle, then the awakening will be the easiest. Thus, the duration of sleep should fit into intervals that are multiples of one and a half hours (i.e. 1.5 - 3.0 - 4.5 - 6 hours, etc.). It is believed that it is precisely because of the non-compliance with the rule of cyclic sleep that it sometimes seems to us that in 8 hours we slept less than in 6: waking up in the middle of the cycle, a person experiences malaise, lethargy and headache. The timing of proper sleep depends on many factors - such as age, lifestyle, degree of fatigue, etc. - but many sleep experts believe that the average amount of good sleep is five full cycles. With a large amount of physical or mental work, there is a need for a longer sleep. In extreme cases, when there is no time for sleep, you can sleep through two cycles, but the next day you need to restore the previous regimen.

The best time to start sleeping is generally considered to be between 10 pm and 2 am. However, do we all really have to go to bed at sunset and rise with the first roosters? Exposure to light is closely related to the formation of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. When the sun or any other light source is shining, the brain suppresses the production of melatonin, which helps us wake up. But people have individual differences in how soon after dark the body starts producing melatonin. That is why there are "larks" and "owls". So the "owl" has the right to lie down later if he does not feel sleepy.

Also, for a normal night's rest, you need to go to bed at the same time. This helps to set your body's internal clock and optimize your sleep quality. Try to follow this rule even on weekends - a clear schedule will reward you with cheerfulness and energy.

Your well-being is also affected by the correct position during sleep. When you go to bed, make a conscious effort to follow these guidelines until they become a habit:

The most correct sleeping position is on your back. It is in this position that all muscles relax, blood flows freely to the brain, and there is a uniform load on the heart. Doctors advise people with scoliosis to sleep on their backs: this is how the mattress supports the spine. And if you care about your appearance, this pose is definitely for you! The face does not touch the pillow during the night, which will prevent the appearance of unnecessary facial wrinkles. However, sleeping on your back is not recommended for those who have trouble breathing or snoring, or for pregnant women. And for those who like to sleep on their backs, it is undesirable to use a pillow that is too high, as it makes breathing difficult.
Sleeping on your side is also suitable for most people. When we lie on our side, the spine retains its natural curve and the back relaxes. Nevertheless, attention should be paid to which side you sleep on: sleeping on the right side can provoke heartburn, and on the left side it can put an additional burden on the heart of hypertensive patients. It is not recommended to put your hands under the pillow, as this impairs blood circulation in them.
Sleeping on your stomach is considered the most harmful. Lying on our stomach, we violate the correct position of the head during sleep - we turn it to the side, which disrupts the blood supply to the brain. The load on the joints and muscles increases, and in particular on the chest, which makes it difficult to breathe. The prone position straightens the natural curve of the spine, and this can lead to back pain. If you are an adherent of this pose, put a small pillow under your hips and lower abdomen. This way you can restore the position of the spine.

Comfortable pillow

We spend a third of our lives sleeping, so it's worth paying attention to what we sleep on. By choosing a comfortable pillow, you will help your body sleep soundly and wake up easily. What are the best pillows for sleeping? We answer - orthopedic: they retain the shape of the head and neck, repeating their natural curves. According to the manufacturers, all materials in the orthopedic pillow are hypoallergenic and absolutely safe. But due to the high cost of orthopedic foam, a special gel with a cooling effect and other components of the product (the cost of some pillows reaches 20,000 rubles), not everyone dares to spend money on such pleasure.

What other pillow can you choose for sleeping? The ideal pillow should be small: the optimal height, suitable for most people, is 10-14 centimeters, and the width should correspond to the width of the shoulders. Also, the pillow should not be too soft so that the head does not “fall through” into it, but not too hard so that the neck does not strain. In addition, it is necessary to choose “breathable” filler and pillow cover so that it is not hot at night. Typically, samples that are elastic to the touch, which quickly restore their shape after compression, have good air permeability.

There are many fillers for pillows - from the usual fluff to buckwheat husks and llama wool. Some of them, such as natural feathers or wool, are demanding to care for and are contraindicated for allergy sufferers, but can last up to five years. Pillows filled with bamboo or silk are machine washable and breathable, but may not suit you due to being too soft. Thus, the choice of material depends on the personal preferences of the person. Therefore, when you come to the bedding store for a purchase, do not hesitate to “try on” the product!

Fresh air

A good microclimate in the bedroom is the most important condition for healthy sleep. While we sleep, the brain functions: it processes information, restores immunity and prepares the body for a new day. The brain needs the right microclimate to function, including an acceptable level of CO₂. Elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the air negatively affect information processing and other brain activity, not to mention the fact that high levels of CO₂ contribute to the feeling of stuffiness. And stuffiness, in turn, causes problems with sleep. Therefore, high quality air is essential for good sleep.

The optimal air temperature for sleep is 20-22 degrees, humidity - 50-60%. So that carbon dioxide does not accumulate at night during sleep, you need a sleeping room. Also, fresh air produces a cooling effect, and a pleasant cool just signals our body that it's time to go to bed. If, with the window open, the noise from the street disturbs your sleep, then you can pay attention to - it not only blocks the hum of cars and other sounds, but also cleans the air of dust, dirt and allergens.

Fresh, clean air improves not only the functioning of the brain, but also the nervous and cardiovascular systems, strengthens memory, concentration and improves mood. Apart from ventilation, the most affordable and efficient way to get air with the right CO₂ levels is through daily walks. Walking in the evening in the nearest park or square, you will ensure a healthy sleep.

Diet

Proper nutrition is the key to health and, accordingly, another rule for good sleep. But even if you like cola, pizza or delicious cakes, there are ways to protect yourself from restless sleep at night:

Eat dinner no later than 3-4 hours before bedtime. Late - especially heavy - meals increase blood flow to the digestive tract, causing your stomach to secrete more stomach acid and your pancreas and bowel muscles to work harder, so your body won't be able to fully rest overnight. It is also better not to eat fatty and spicy foods: fats stay in the stomach longer than other substances, and spicy food can cause both heartburn and swelling of the face.
Prefer a small snack with harmless and low-calorie foods over a late dinner. Fat-free yogurt, a handful of walnuts, a glass of skimmed milk or kefir will do.
Poor sleep affects not only those who like to dine late, but also people who adhere to a diet that is overly strict. When the amount of calories taken in by the body per day drops below 1200 kcal, many nutrients pass by you. For example, a low iron content in the body can cause discomfort in the legs, and a deficiency of folic acid (found in green vegetables, some citrus fruits, legumes, seafood, etc.) leads to insomnia.
In the afternoon, do not abuse drinks containing caffeine (tea, coffee, cocoa, energy drinks). The effect of caffeine lasts up to 12 hours, disturbs the heart rhythm, increases blood pressure and therefore “rewards” with intermittent and disturbing sleep. But before going to bed, you can drink a decoction of soothing herbs.
Alcohol can cause drowsiness, but you should not use it as a sleep aid. As in the case of a late dinner, the body begins to "distract" to the processing of alcohol and disrupts sleep cycles, which is why a person sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night from any extraneous sound.

To sleep well, you need to properly prepare for sleep. Reduce light exposure an hour or two before bed - bright lights can disrupt your body clock. For the same reason, it is better not to watch TV before going to bed, and also not to use a tablet, phone or computer. When you go to bed, if possible, turn off all the lights in your bedroom: it can be an LED clock, a desk lamp, or a backlight on a laptop. You can cover them with thick paper, a cloth, or simply unplug them. So you will not only fall asleep easily, but also save energy. If sunlight wakes you up in the morning, you should buy a sleep mask.

A good night's sleep is the key to a healthy life. How to learn to sleep correctly?

Normal sleep is a daily human need. And, if this need is not satisfied, or is satisfied poorly, the body begins to suffer. Scientists have proven that sleep disorders can lead to diseases of the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems, diabetes, obesity and other equally complex health problems. How to avoid all these things and learn to sleep properly?

What is a normal dream like?

The rules of healthy sleep are not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. The main condition is the regularity of their implementation.

So, for proper sleep you need:

Compliance with sleep and wakefulness. It may sound trite, but for a normal night's rest, your body needs to go to bed and get up every day at the same time. At the same time, scientists recommend going to bed on average no later than 22 hours, and waking up before 6 in the morning.

Of course, on weekdays it is easier to follow this rule, because we usually get up for work at the same time. But you should not sleep until noon on weekends, supposedly "for the whole week." Such excessive sleep will not make you healthier, on the contrary, it will reward you with lethargy and a headache. But a charge of vivacity is unlikely to interfere with you both on Saturday and Sunday, isn't it?

Fresh air. The best temperature for sleeping is 22-25 degrees. Therefore, before going to bed, it is necessary to ventilate the bedroom well, and even better - leave an open window for the night.

Not a very full stomach. Here the doctors are unanimous - food is not a friend to sleep. A full dinner should be no later than 4 hours before bedtime. Otherwise, food will force your digestive system to work at night, and this will not give you the opportunity to get a good night's sleep.

It is also undesirable to use tonic and caffeinated products before bedtime - coffee, strong tea, cocoa, chocolate. They can lead to insomnia, and, as a result, to a broken state of health the next morning.

Normal bed. This means that the bed should not be too soft or too hard. The mattress should support the spine well. If the bed is too soft, the muscles will not be able to relax, and if it is too hard, there will be excessive pressure on the skeleton and muscles.

The pillow should also be chosen correctly - small and not too soft. If the pillow is chosen incorrectly, the neck and upper back are tense, the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, resulting in headaches and fatigue in the morning.

Physical exercise. Scientists say that an active lifestyle is the best prevention of stress. It is most useful to practice from 17 to 20 hours. But just before going to bed, you should not be very active - excessive excitement of the body will not let you fall asleep.

Minimum clothing. The less dressed a person is, the better his sleep. Clothing should be loose-fitting and made from natural fabrics, preferably cotton or linen. Socks and sleeping caps should be avoided, even if the bedroom is cool.

Special sleep rituals. Following certain procedures before going to bed - reading your favorite book, a warm bath, meditation, pleasant music - you will develop conditioned reflexes. Every time you perform a ritual, the body will automatically begin to prepare for sleep.

Fast, but not a sharp rise. Don't lie in bed in the morning. This will only lead to a feeling of weakness and headache. But there is no need to jump out of bed abruptly either. Stretch, smile, roll from side to side - and hello, new day!

Probably all of us at least once in our lives faced with the problem of lack of sleep. It looks like you want to sleep, but you can't. The head is full of some extraneous thoughts about the events of the past day, unresolved problems and difficulties.

Most of all, insomnia affects people engaged in mental work, as well as those who are unsure of themselves, too sensitive to stress and anxiety. One of the factors for poor sleep is information overload - a working day at the computer, then tense problematic television programs, social networks - and now, you have been spinning in bed for hours, trying to fall asleep.

If you feel symptoms of insomnia, do not rush to swallow sleeping pills. First, try these simple tips for falling asleep easily and quickly:

Meditate before bed. The representation of wildlife will help you relax and let go of intrusive thoughts.
Walk outside in the evening. Fresh air, beautiful starry sky, unhurried measured walking - all this will help your nervous system to calm down and give you a good sleep.
Treat yourself to a massage. Ask a loved one to stretch your back a little, or learn the basics of self-massage. This will help relax your body and mind as well.
Take water procedures - coniferous baths, baths with salt, chamomile, mint, valerian extract. Pleasant, useful, and for the coming dream.
Use aromatherapy. Oils of rose, cedar, lemon balm, mint, lavender, basil will help to cope with insomnia.
Get yourself an herbal pillow. This is, in fact, a small bag with soothing herbs - lavender, hops, valerian, bay leaf. You can either buy it ready-made or make it yourself.
Drink herbal tea (with the same motherwort, valerian, mint) or warm milk with honey at night.
And, of course, create a calm environment in the bedroom. No extra information, horror movies and action movies before bed.

The dreams that we dream about are one of the biggest mysteries that scientists still cannot fully solve. Dreams can be pleasant and scary, cause many questions and a desire to somehow interpret them. Someone dreams every night, and someone in the morning cannot remember what he dreamed about.

The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, was the first to speak about the scientific interpretation of dreams. He argued that dreams are a product of our unconscious, and they, in fact, reflect the hidden desires of a person. But at the same time, it is important to understand that only the dreamer on his own can most fully unravel the meaning of his dream. This is due to different life experiences, temperament, character of people. For different people, the same dream, with the same plot, can mean different things. Therefore, you should not trust the dream books too much - they can give approximate guidelines that you can pay attention to, but in general they will not be able to accurately explain your dream.

By the way, it is interesting to know that scientists distinguish a separate category of dreams - meaningless dreams. This is when pictures, images, faces, events change in a chaotic order before your eyes, there are no emotions and logical connections between them. After such a dream, a person usually wakes up broken. You should not try to somehow interpret such a dream - it signals an overload of information. All that is needed in this case is to add physical activity during the day and try to reduce intellectual activity a little, at least shortly before bedtime.

The position in which you sleep is also important. According to scientists, there is no ideal sleeping position - they all have their pros and cons. Let's place "sleepy" poses in descending order of utility:

On the back. This posture contributes to the greatest relaxation of the bones and muscles of the body, helps with heartburn, avoids the appearance of unnecessary wrinkles and sagging breasts. But there are also contraindications: this pose is not recommended for pregnant women and the elderly, as well as those suffering from certain diseases (epilepsy, bronchial asthma, etc.).
On the side. In this position, the optimal position of the back and neck is ensured, and snoring is prevented. This pose is great for pregnant women and has no contraindications.
On the stomach. It is considered the most harmful posture, in which the whole body is twisted, the load on the joints and muscles increases, as well as on the skin of the face and chest. The only plus of this provision is the prevention of snoring.

There are additional options with the use of accessories designed to reduce stress on certain muscle groups, it is advisable to select them individually.

Now that we've covered the quality of sleep a bit, it's time to talk about quantity.

Modern medicine claims that the optimal duration of sleep is 8 hours a day. However, new research conducted by British scientists has shown that people who sleep for 6-7 hours feel much better and live longer than others. Other studies have shown that those who sleep less than 6 hours or more than 8 hours have poorer memory and more difficult decision-making.

But besides the duration of sleep itself, the time of going to bed and waking up is important. Here the opinions of scientists differ: someone claims that sleep is optimal from 23 to 7 hours, others - that from 21 to 4-5 hours. The science of biorhythms - biochronology - states that the middle of the night's sleep should be at midnight. Ayurveda, the oriental science of health, is of the same opinion. According to Ayurveda, sleep should be tied to sunrise and sunset, and the best time to sleep is from 21:00 to 3:00 in the morning. At the same time, the most important and indispensable hours for rest are from 10 pm to 2 am.

And, of course, do not forget about constancy - a clear sleep schedule will bring you health and energy.

Secrets of a healthy awakening

So we quietly crept up to the climax of our night's rest - awakening. A few tips on how to make your morning pleasant and tune in to a good day:

Soft awakening. It is advisable to refuse an alarm clock with a sharp loud signal. Let a pleasant melody wake you up. It is also not recommended to immediately get out of bed quickly. Lie down for a while (but don't fall asleep!), stretch well, and only then get up.
Smile. A positive attitude in the morning will create a good mood for the whole day.
water procedures. Elastic and strong jets of water will complete the awakening of your body and give strength.
Morning work-out. Do not neglect this simple and affordable way to always stay in shape. Choose a set of exercises that you like and enter a new happy day with soft music!