With the speedy technological advances, we are slowly turning into a species that’s surrendering our cognitive independence to our gadgets and devices. The greatest toll that technology must have ever taken on is on our health and sleep. After spending an entire day at the office literally sitting at our desks focused on the computer screens, it’s highly unlikely that our bodies and brains could be invested into doing something productive. But like they say, it’s a shiny, glittering world; so much to do, so little time, when do we do it all?
People who compromise on their sleep time by binge watching before bedtime end up feeling tired the next day. It is indeed shocking to learn that a whopping 70% of the population across the world binge watches movies and TV shows before bed. Here’s how the vicious circle of sleeping-late-to-binge-watch and then not-being-able-to-sleep-so-binge-watching, begins!
Our body clock has been designed in such a way that at around 9:30 PM or so, our senses begin to temporarily retire, the body channels narrow down and the brain signals us to sleep. It’s essential that the body is in a dark environment so that the urge to sleep comes by naturally. Not paying heed to what the body signals us then, leads to sleeplessness for the next 3-4 hours. When continued for nights together, what results is Insomnia- the inability to fall asleep even when your mind and body are tired after a day’s work. Insomnia, takes a toll on your energy, mood, creativity, alertness and the ability to function during the day. It makes you dependent on sleeping pills or alcohol.
To get your sleep cycle back on track, make sure dinner is before 9 PM so digestion takes place on time, thus preparing the body for the sleep process. It’s a good idea to switch off the bedroom lights by 10 PM . Switch on the reading lamp and grab a light read (book). Reading at bedtime induces sleep naturally; make sure you don’t push the sleep time. Once the body clock is set to a particular time, sleep is going to be induced naturally at the same time every night.
It’s time we realized our priorities and took them seriously. Sleep procrastination pushes your sleep time further and further back. You never know, the habit of “Watching just ONE more episode” might be doing you more harm than you ever thought!
(image credits- giphy, medicalnewstoday)
