What is a sleep calculator?
A ‘Sleep Calculator’ recommends the best time for a person to go to sleep and wake up depending on their routine and habits. It helps you understand how to calculate the best suitable time to go to bed based on natural sleep cycles.
The amount of sleep a person gets can affect their mental health, physical health, and mood. Moreover, our daily routine affects our sleep cycle that includes our social life, work schedule, family time, and so on.
Bedtimes are based on these three things:
- A person wakeup time
- Completing five or six 90 minutes sleep cycles
- Allowing 15 minutes to fall asleep
Sticking To A Routine Using A Sleep Calculator
A person needs to organize their lifestyle to make it easy to stick to a set sleep routine. To ensure healthy uninterrupted sleep one needs to set some nightly and daily rituals to help ensure more relaxing, comfortable, and rejuvenating sleep.
Some of the common DON’Ts when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep include:
- Not using phones or any other electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bedtime to limit distractions that may keep you up later than usual.
- Drink something warm and reduce late-night snacks to minimize heartburn or indigestion.
- Meditate to clear your mind and to avoid overthinking.
If you are having trouble setting up a sleep schedule check out this sleep calculator! It will help you find your optimum sleeping time and also let you know exactly how much sleep your body needs to function at its best.
8 Signs of Not Getting Enough Sleep
A person gets so exhausted due to workload, stress, and house chores so it’s important to get enough sleep or else the body can get sick. Here are some factors that determine if a person is getting enough sleep or not:
- A person can get drowsy during the day
- A person can get irritable
- Less productive and focused
- Increase in appetite
- Lack of decision-making skills
- Skin problems like eye bags, dull complexion, etc.
- Anxiety and depression
- Frequent yawning
Causes Of Interrupted Sleep
The most common causes of a disturbed sleep cycle are:
- Abnormal sleep cycle
- Insomnia
- Uncomfortable mattress
- Anxiety and restlessness
- Snoring partner
- Uncomfortable lights
- Body pains.
The Importance of Quality Sleep
Sleep is a vital, often neglected component of a person’s life. Sleep is important because it keeps the body fit and repairs it. Other benefits of sleep are:
- Sleep regulates hormones that control appetite, metabolism, growth, and healing
- It boosts brain activity, focus, and function
- Reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke
- Helps weight gain
- Maintain immune system
- Lowers risk of diabetes, blood pressure
- Lowers risk of depression
Problems Associated With Sleep Deprivation
Not getting enough sleep can be linked to a number of problems that can be deleterious to a person’s physical and mental health. Here are the number of problems a person’s organ system might face due to sleep deprivation.
1. Central nervous system
Our nervous system is the main controller of our body from receiving to sending messages within milliseconds. Sleep is vital for the proper functioning of our nervous system. Sleep deprivation affects a person’s mental abilities, cognitive functions, mood, and decision-making skills. It may lead to hallucinations, mania in bipolar, paranoia, impulsive behavior, and suicidal thoughts.
2. Immune system
A person’s body produces protective substances like antibodies and cytokines to combat foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses. So, sleep deprivation prevents the immune system to fight against these invaders and may lead to chronic infections like diabetes mellitus and heart disease
3. Respiratory system
Sleep deprivation can make respiratory diseases worse like chronic lung illness. Moreover, a nighttime breathing disorder called obstructive sleep apnea can disturb sleep.
4. Digestive system
Sleep deprivation can make a person obese by dysregulating hormones leptin and ghrelin which control hunger. Sleep deprivation causes the body to secrete less insulin and lowers the body’s tolerance for glucose.
5. Cardiovascular system
Sleep deprivation can cause an increase in blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
6. Endocrine system
Hormone production and regulation are dependent on sleep. For testosterone production, the body at least needs 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Irregular sleeping can affect the production of growth hormones, especially in children. Moreover, the secretion of the pituitary gland is dependent on adequate sleep.
Sleep disorders make it difficult to sleep at night. The common types of sleeping disorders are listed below:
- Narcolepsy
- Restless leg syndrome
- Insomnia
- Circadian rhythm disorders
Tips For Better Quality Sleep
The following are tips for achieving better sleep
During the day:
- Exercise regularly but do not exercise too close to bedtime for it may disturb your sleep.
- Increase exposure to sunlight during the day helps to improve the body’s circadian rhythm
- Avoid long naps during the day
- Try to wake at the same time each day
Before bed:
- Avoid drinking alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine in the evening as these things can interrupt sleep
- Stop using phone and electronics at least 30 minutes before sleep
- For a better sleep take a warm bath
- Turn down lights shortly before bedtime
- Set the thermostat to 65 F for a better sleep
- Avoid unnecessary noises.
In bed:
- Read a book, relax your muscles, and focus on steady breathing.
Revamp Your Bedroom for Better Quality Sleep
Indeed, time is essential for better sleep but other factors influence sleep quality as well. Things like the condition of your bed mattresses, bedroom accessories, lighting, noise, and other distractions can all hamper your sleeping patterns.
A good mattress gently supports your body and keeps the spine in a neutral position for quality sleep and to prevent backaches. Comfortable bedding will allow you to sleep longer. A lack of noise and a dark cool environment will also help improve sleep quality.
Sleep Calculator: The Key To Better Quality Sleep
Sleep is vital to health, it prevents heart diseases, stroke, and other health problems. To function properly a person needs at least 7 to 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. A sleep calculator helps a person to figure out what time to go to bed and how to regulate their sleep schedule. It helps the person perform well in their daily activities, be it as simple as taking a walk or running errands.
Without proper sleep, a person would find it very difficult to manage their everyday tasks. Besides time, several other things are essential for healthy sleep like a comfortable bedroom, dietary habits, lifestyle choices, exercise, etc.
Sleep deprivation may damage a person’s mental, physical, and emotional health leading to chronic illnesses like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke, and cardiovascular problems. In such cases, consult with a somnologist today!
