How To Keep Your Phone From Ruining The Quality Of Your Sleep
Sleep, which is a basic need and natural part body process, has become a luxury nowadays. Though most of us would give anything for a few more minutes of shut eye, somehow life has made it impossible to do so. Lack of sleep isn’t something to be overlooked. It’s important for everyone to get sleep and wake up well rested because when you do, you feel better, look better, and work better. However, the problem is that more and more people are having a hard time get proper shut eye which not only lead to poor performance but as well as health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, memory problems, weight gain, headaches, impotence and an impaired immune system.
Usually, people blame not being able to sleep right away to coffee. This is especially for those who are coffee lovers and drinks more than a cup in a day. However, you could be missing something because nowadays, the culprit is more likely your phone more than caffeine. Although it’s understandable that we cannot completely eliminate usage of smartphone, you should still learn how to control your reliance to it to avoid ruining your sleep and eventually compromising your health. Here are some ways to do that:
Customize Notification On Smartphone
The lesser notifications you receive, the less likely you are to check your smartphone. People become so absorbed with their phone because of the notifications that keep popping up which can almost make you feel like you have to attend to them ASAP! But if you limit those, then you won’t have to be on your phone all the time, not to mention won’t wake you up in the middle of the night.
Limit Smartphone Usage
Yes, you need your phone with you most of the day but not when you’re trying to fall asleep. You can limit your phone usage only when you really need to. So for situations like meals, dates, or social gatherings, make it a conscious effort to put your phone away. Not only does this limit your mindless phone usage but is also being polite and respectful to others. This also trains you to put it away when it’s time to hit the sack.
Get Rid Of Unnecessary Apps
Do you ever find yourself checking or browsing an app simply because it’s there? This is usually what happens when you’re on your phone and you’re done texting and you absentmindedly tap on an app to kill time or browse just because. That just contributes to the time looking down on your phone and straining your neck when you could have actually avoided it. It also causes you to stay on your phone for hours past your bedtime even when you’re eyes are already tired.
Make Use Of Landline
When you get home in the evening, put your cellphone away, in a bedside drawer, in a basket on the hall table, in the bottom of your bag, anywhere really as long as it’s out of your hands for a while. Before you do so, set an auto text reply message directing anyone trying to reach you urgently to call your home phone. Don’t still have one? Consider getting it back, especially as in an emergency a landline, however ‘old-fashioned’ is still a great standby if the power goes out or the cell signal dies. But more importantly, it allows you to feel relaxed that you have other means to contact and be contacted so that you don’t feel the need to be on your phone even when you’re supposed to be sleeping already.
Build A Sleep Ritual That Doesn’t Involve Your Phone
Do you often find yourself having a hard time falling asleep? That’s because you rely on feeling sleepy instead of making your body recognize that it’s time to sleep. You can do that by creating a sleep ritual. This means preparing not just your body but your brain to sleep so that you don’t toss and turn all night. The first thing is to sleep at the same time every day, before the allotted sleeping time make sure you don’t eat anything heavy or drink anything caffeinated. Block out light from outside your window, set your bedroom temperature to a maximum of 69 degrees F and don’t watch TV or browse through your phone. It also helps if you invest in a good mattress, sheets and pillows to create optimal sleeping environment.
Have A Clock Or Your Wristwatch By Your Nightstand
Nowadays, it has become an impulse to grab your phone when you want to check the time. As a result, when a notification pops up while doing so, you end up being on your phone for half an hour when you’re only supposed to be checking the time for a second. Eliminate this habit by looking at an actual clock if instead of relying on your phone for this purpose.
Actually Enjoy Your Social Life
When dining out, enjoying a family dinner or spending time at a concert a no cellphone rule should go into effect as well. You might be surprised by just how refreshing it is to actually enjoy a conversation, listen to the music or just simply catch up with loved ones without a screen getting in the way. And again, this allows you to get used to and enjoy the feeling of not having your phone on your hand all the time. This way, you’ll have not troubled putting it away when it’s time for bed.
Although social media has gotten everyone hooked with their smartphone, you still have to limit yourself. Lack of sleep leads to high cortisol level that can affect muscle growth and you can also become slower, weaker, and less coordinated. Sleep helps your body regenerate much needed overall energy in order to perform at your best.
Getting enough sleep allows your body to repair muscles and keep your hormone levels up. So basically, sleeping is your body’s way of going into repair mode. Therefore, as you become renewed when you wake up, you are able to train harder and better. Although 8 hours of shut eye is always recommended, you still should focus on the quality not the hours. You can sleep eight hours and wake up feeling more tired because it’s too hot or cold in your room or your bed isn’t comfortable. You also need an optimal environment for sleep and to maintain good sleep hygiene. Since there are a lot of other things that can disturb a good sleep, don’t ruin it even more by staying on your phone longer than you should. If you feel like you’ve done everything to improve your sleep quality but you’re still not getting the result you want, maybe it’s time you seek a professional.
Good thing some people have started to discover chiropractic care. They’ve found how it greatly helps them with their sleep troubles. Chiropractic adjustment relaxes your body, corrects misalignments that disturb body and brain communication causing unbalance in your body and affects sleep, helps relieve pain and teaches proper sleeping position. All of these can help you achieve quality sleep better than any sleeping pills out there. If you’re now thinking about chiropractic care, there are a lot of chiropractor in Singapore that can help you understand how it works and how it can help you specifically.
