Everyone craves for a good night’s sleep. It is a different matter that most of us do not get our much-deserved sleep. The reasons can vary from poor sleeping habits, stress, medical issues and use of gadgets or technology while sleeping. You might have heard of the popular saying “Early to bed, early to rise, make a man healthy, wealthy and wise” The same rule applies here, provided you get good quality sleep.

Contribution of Technology to Poor Quality Sleep

Technology is addictive. Most of our day to day routine revolves around technology. We generally tend to look into our phones; iPads or tablets to check newsfeeds, social media, video games or messages, before hitting the sack. Involuntarily we are cutting down on our good quality sleep.

Kids too are addicted to gadgets during bedtime. If your kid also is a gadget addict, you can ensure that they do not carry any gadgets to bed. Allocate a time for them to play on the devices.

You might wonder how a normal thing like going through gadgets at night affects your sleep. When we are glancing at our gadgets, this action starts to physically and mentally stimulate the brain to function and process information.

Secondly, the brain automatically starts associating your bed as a working place, making you feel restless or excited depending on what you are doing. The bright blue light emitted from the gadget screens force the brain to perceive it as sunlight, thus keeping you awake at night.

Other ways in which technology can come in way of your sleep include:

• It delays the release of melatonin which is a hormone responsible for inducing sleep
• It can even trigger emotional responses from your brain depending on the content
• Keeping phones in sound mode on can disturb your sleep when you receive notifications
• Keeping Wi Fi mode on can also disturb your sleep
• It can also create separation anxiety in people when they are away from their phones

Different people have different ways to soothe themselves to sleep. While some might prefer listening to music and sleeping, others might prefer reading or watching television. All this is fine, provided it does not disrupt your sleeping cycle.

You can devote some time for your favorite activities an hour before going to bed. You might have an important email to be sent or a presentation to be prepared, ensure that you do not take your work to bed. Your bedroom is meant for relaxation. You need to separate these two activities.

A warm bath or a glass of warm milk and also help you prepare for sleeping.

Mattresses also play an important role with the quality of sleep. If you wake up feeling lethargic with back and neck pain even after a good night’s rest, then it is high time that you change your mattress. If you browse online, you might come across many good brands of mattresses.

Using Technology to Your Advantage

Many of us might find it a bit difficult not to look into our phones before sleeping. Here is where you can use technology to your advantage. If you have the habit of reading on your gadget before going to bed, then you can invest in a good quality blue light filter.

These filters can be downloaded from any app stores. You can then sync these to turn on at night and off during the day. IPhones already have a feature called “Night Shift” where you can set the brightness for your device.

Another great alternative would be to use dim lights in your bedrooms to cut down on light pollution. Red bulbs create a warm and cozy feeling, making you feel relaxed and calm. If you are a gadget freak, then you can go in for smart alarm clocks that come with sensors.  These alarms emit different colors and come with speakers and monitors on them. They even keep track of your deep and light sleep patterns.

Another technology that is gaining a lot of popularity is the fitness tracker bands. These devices effectively monitor your heart rate and tell you how much sleep you require for a healthy body and mind.

There are many devices in the market that can track your sleep. These devices can be worn while sleeping or embedded onto your mattress. These devices make use of motion detection that can help determine the quality of sleep. Some devices are also able to detect the temperature and lighting conditions in your room.

If your home is situated near a busy street and you have trouble falling asleep at night, you can earbuds that can shut off sounds from the outside world and help you sleep better.

Another great option available is the wake-up lights. If you have difficulty waking up and are always late for work then this device can come in handy. These devices replicate natural sunlight and give you a wakeup call.

Aromatherapy for Sleepless Nights

A majority of the population suffers from insomnia. No matter how tired you are, sleep is nowhere in sight. This can leave you frustrated, moody and depressed. Insomnia can be caused due to many reasons. It is always better to have a doctor check you up to eliminate insomnia as a symptom of any medical condition.

If you are in the pink of your health, the insomnia can be caused due to stress or work pressures. There are many tried and tested methods that can reduce insomnia, but one of the most effective one is aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy is a holistic approach that makes use of plant extracts and essential oils to help you feel relaxed and calm. Essential oils that can induce sleep include:

• Lavender
• Lemon or Orange (News - Alert)
• Jasmine
• Cedarwood

You can purchase diffusers and place them on your bed stand. If you are looking at sleeping technology, you can look at devices that offer sound; light and aroma that help you feel sleepy. These work just like an alarm that monitors your sleeping patterns.

If you are in a light sleep, these devices will emit a soft sound to wake you up, otherwise a loud sound. Similarly, these devices will produce a soft orange glow at night, which will slowly dim indicating it is time to sleep.

Conclusion

One should never compromise on their sleep. A proper rest ensures that your mind and body is active and ready to face another day and its challenges in a positive way.