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Medical Video: How to Fall Asleep FAST When You CAN’T Sleep! 10 Sleep Life Hacks!
Diet is not the only thing that changes in your routine during the fasting month. The obligation to wake up in the early morning for the sake of eating sahur is no doubt making your nighttime sleep reduced. This change in sleep patterns during fasting is unwittingly often the reason why we are often weak and sleepy all day. In the end, productivity in schools and workplaces also diminishes.
Don't make fasting as an excuse for not getting excited about your day. Here are some tips that can help you improve your sleep patterns during fasting so you don't get sleepy during your daytime activities.
Tips for maintaining sleep patterns during fasting so as not to get sleepy quickly
1. Promote sleep
As much as possible, advance your sleep during the fasting month and schedule at the same time every day. For example, if during the fasting month you regularly carry out Tarawih prayers, try to hurry to sleep afterwards and do not force you to stay up late.
If the Tarawih prayer is usually finished at around 8pm, take a 90-minute period of sleep preparation (for bathing, cleaning, etc.), then go to bed. That means you should be lying in bed at 9:30 a.m. And if you know you should sleep at 9.30, stop any of your activities that are burdensome at 9.15, or faster if you can.
If you do not get used to sleeping faster during the fasting month, then your sleep hours can decrease by an average of 40 minutes because it is cut off during the dawn. According to research in the Journal of Sleep Research, this will reduce the duration of the stage of deep sleep or REM (rapid eye movement) which makes you easy to become weak and sleepy during the day.
2. Take a nap again after sahur
Direct sleep after dawn has a negative impact on the body. But it cannot be denied that adequate sleep is a basic human need that must be met, just like the need for air and food.
To work around this, try to get up to dawn on time. Because then your body still has enough free time to digest food as optimally as possible to produce the energy you need later. After that, you still have about 1-2 hours before getting ready to continue your routine. Use this blank time to go back to sleep.
3. Take time to sleep
Use your free time during the day to steal sleep for a while. For example, sleeping in a public vehicle during a round trip. If you drive a private vehicle, don't force it to leave immediately if it's still sleepy. It's best to take a nap first to refresh your mind. Similarly, when you get ready to go home. Extra sleep for just 5 minutes can actually have a tremendous effect on your body.
In addition, take advantage of lunch time to take a nap. Napping for 20-30 minutes is more than enough to restore energy so that you are productive again. Researchers found that napping for 30 minutes can cover sleep needs if you only sleep for 2 hours at night. In addition, napping can also control stress hormones in the body caused by lack of sleep at night.
4. Pay attention to what you consume before going to bed
Don't sleep in times of hunger or even overflowing. In particular, avoid heavy meals several hours before going to bed. Sleeping immediately after a big meal can make your sleep time disrupted, it can even increase your risk of stroke. If you are very hungry and forced to eat before bed, you should choose foods that are easy to digest and eat small portions, such as fruit or oatmeal crackers.
You should also avoid smoking and caffeine if you want to maintain sleep patterns when fasting. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine take hours to fully collapse, so this can mess up the quality of your sleep.
5. Create a comfortable sleeping environment
Make your bedroom an ideal escape for sleeping. Make sure your bedroom is a place that is dark, cool and calm; and keep your computer, cellphone, TV, and other electronic devices out of your reach. The emission of bright light from electronic devices works to mimic the nature of the sun's natural light. As a result, the body's biological clock considers this light as a signal that it is still morning, and therefore the production of melatonin, a sleepy trigger hormone, becomes disrupted.
In short, hours of playing cellphones before going to bed actually make you more enthusiastic so you need more time to finally be able to sleep. Instead, do relaxing activities before going to bed, such as warm baths, light yoga, or sleep relaxation techniques to make you sleep faster and better.
6. Keep regular exercise when fasting
Regular physical activity can improve sleep quality, even during the fasting month. But avoid exercising that is too intense too close to bedtime. The most recommended, exercise in the morning. If the cycle is not possible, you should exercise about four to five hours before your bedtime and give about one hour to recover from physical activity before bedtime.
7. Don't differentiate sleep schedules on weekdays and weekends
Mentang-mentang holiday, you intend to repay the debt to sleep during the workday by waking up late after dawn? This is the wrong way if you want to maintain a quality sleep pattern when fasting. As much as possible, schedule sleep and wake up at the same time every day - yes, including on weekends.
Rules for sleeping and waking up at the same time must also be applied during holidays. If you are used to sleeping regularly, your body will also get used to it. By adhering to a regular sleep schedule every day, your body becomes lighter, warmer, and the cortisol hormone is also released, giving you an energy kick to move. If you suddenly change it, it will disrupt your body's metabolism.
