Makar Sankranti is a harvest festival that marks the transition from winter to spring/summer. The weather changes drastically within a few days of this festival. Slowly the chill in the air gets reduced, days start becoming longer and there is an increase in humidity. Change in weather can affect the quality of your sleep, and how much of it you’re getting. Many of us have experienced tossing and turning as the heat rises- you wake up feeling irritable, sweaty, and exhausted, almost like you’ve hardly had any sleep at all.
How the weather change affects your sleep?
Are you struggling to go to sleep and stay asleep? Here are some ways the changing weather could also be keeping you up at night:
Temperature
Temperature incorporates a deep impact on our sleep, as we are designed to possess a cooler blood heat when sleeping than after we are awake. Once we try to sleep in environments that are too hot or too cold, we don’t reach the optimal sleeping temperature- and this throws off the wheel of our biological time, or internal body clock, resulting in sleep deprivation. The same happens with suddenly changing weather.
18–22 degrees Celsius is the optimum temperature for sleep. This might explain why we regularly find it difficult to sleep in summer. Being too hot in the dark prevents restful sleep because the body is forced to figure harder thanks to sweating.
Seasonal affective disorder
SAD stands for seasonal emotional disorder, an increasingly recognized phenomenon within which the changing seasons (including the weather) cause someone to experience a drop by mood with similar symptoms as depression. SAD is becoming increasingly recognized as a real occurrence. It is characterized by a scarcity of energy, mood swings, and depressive episodes that occur during times of seasonal change.
Allergies
Changes in weather and temperature can even trigger the onset of allergies for a few people. For those stricken by hayfever, springtime, and also the onset of warm weather can cause spring allergies to flare up and result in difficulty sleeping.
How to adjust your sleep schedule
Here are some ways to work back your way to a good night’s sleep.
Get right with sunshine
One of the simplest ways to mend your sleep schedule is to plan your exposure to light. When you’re exposed to light, your brain stops producing melatonin, the sleep hormone. This causes you to feel awake and alert. Darkness tells your brain to form more melatonin, so you are feeling drowsy. In the morning, exposing yourself to light can facilitate your awakening. Try opening the curtains, taking a walk, or relaxing on the porch.
At night, ready yourself for sleep by turning off or dimming bright lights. you must also avoid glowing electronic screens from computers, smartphones, or television, as they’ll stimulate your brain for several hours. Keep away the devices.
Practice unwinding
Making time for relaxation might facilitate your sleep better. When you’re stressed or anxious, your body produces more cortisol, the stress hormone. the upper the cortisol, the more awake you are feeling. Creating a soothing bedtime ritual may reduce stress and its negative effects on sleep.
Try taking a warm bath after a long day, as it helps start the unwinding process. To wipe off, use Livpure’s bamboo fiber towel to feel the touch of luxury and softness on your body. We bet you when it feels nice, you will feel more relaxed as well.
Skip daytime naps
If your sleep schedule is out of whack, avoid naps during the day. Napping can make it difficult to get to sleep in the night time. Long naps may also cause grogginess. If you want to nap, aim for 15-20 minutes. It’s also best to nap before 3 p.m. so your nighttime sleep isn’t disrupted.
Get daily exercise
One way to reset your internal clock is to get regular exercise. Thirty minutes of moderate cardio may improve your sleep quality that very same night. However, regular exercise and Yoga will yield the best results. Aim for a half-hour of moderate aerobic activity a minimum of five times every week. Make sure you finish this activity at least 2 hours before your bedtime to reduce overstimulating your body.
Be comfortable
A comfortable bed is the best environment for a decent night’s rest. Old mattresses and pillows can cause aches and pains, making it difficult to urge quality sleep. Generally, experts suggest replacing your mattresses every 10 years and pillows every two years.
You should also get a brand new mattress or pillow if you wake up feeling stiff or just not getting enough sleep. Explore the wide range of Livpure mattresses to make you sleep more sound and deep. If you have a backache, try our ortho mattress. If you sleep with a partner who tosses a little too much, try our motion transfer restricting memory foam mattresses, available in different thicknesses.
Eat early
Your biological time also responds to your eating habits. A late dinner can delay sleep, so eat your last meal two to 3 hours before bed. This can give your body enough time to digest the meal. Eating dinner around the same time on a daily basis also will get your body used to a routine. It matters what you eat, too. Heavy, high-fat meals might disrupt sleep because they take a long time to digest. If you’re hungry, eat a light-weight snack. the most effective foods for sleep include a mix of carbs and protein, like wheat toast and almond butter. Avoid caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, or energy drinks.
Try fasting
When you eat and digest food, your internal clock knows that you’re awake. That’s because metabolism and biological time are closely linked. On the opposite hand, fasting puts your body on “standby” so it can repair itself. Fasting is additionally a traditional part of sleep. Try skipping food just before bedtime. Since fasting naturally happens during sleep, it should facilitate your go to sleep.
But remember, visiting the bed on an empty stomach can keep you awake. Fasting is only useful if you aren’t already hungry.
Make your bedroom for good sleep
We spend one-third of our lives in bed, so it’s important that we turn our bedroom into a sleep sanctuary and create an ideal environment for rest. Make sure your room is comfortable, dark, free of clutter, and peaceful. Add comfortable layers to your bed- Try Livpure’s wide range of comfortable pillows, all-weather comforters, luxurious Egyptian cotton bed sheets, etc. When your bedroom feels comfortable, you automatically feel more at comfort.
The bottom line
The bottom line is that we can only work with the controllable factors to help fix our schedules. We cannot help the changing weather, hence we should be ready to face the situation and follow some simple tips and tricks to smoothen into different seasons. Of course, if nothing works, you should consider visiting a doctor who can guide you through your specific problems.