Urban life is filled with high levels of stress and irregular schedules. It can be challenging to get a good night's sleep, and thus to suffer from insomnia, missing out on valuable rest. Insomnia is a prevalent issue in Hong Kong, with nearly 40% of the population experiencing sleep troubles. Research conducted by Caritas Institute of Higher Education in Hong Kong indicates that the ratio of insomnia is 3:7 between men and women, suggesting that women are more susceptible to insomnia. CUHK Medical Clicnic further states that if sleep problems persist for more than three months and are accompanied by fatigue, anxiety, decreased work efficiency, and impacts on daily life, it may be a sign of insomnia.

4 Bedtime Habits to Avoid for a Good Nights Sleep

How do we define sleep problems? Clinical psychologist Ms Daisy pointed out that long-lasting presence of any of the following conditions is considered insomnia:

Nocturnal awakenings: Frequently waking up in the middle of the night and unable to fall back asleep for at least 30 minutes, making it difficult to have a continuous night of sleep.

Prolonged sleep-onset: Taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.

Early morning awakening: Waking up earlier than the intended alarm time.

Ms Daisy also mentioned that some individuals sleep for only about 5 hours on workdays but can sleep an additional 3-4 hours or more on weekends. This indicates that their regular sleep duration is insufficient, and they require more sleep time. It is widely known that insomnia has significant effects on our physical and mental well-being. However, certain everyday habits unknowingly impact the quality of our sleep. If you want to achieve a good night's sleep without relying on medication, it is crucial to be aware of these four bedtime habits to avoid.

Four Bedtime Habits To Avoid

1.Avoid taking a hot water shower before bed

Many people believe that taking a hot bath before bed, with hotter water being better, will help them relax and sleep better. However, this can actually make it harder for you to fall asleep. Taking a hot bath raises your body temperature and stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for body movement. Research has also found that individuals with insomnia tend to have higher core body temperatures compared to the general population. One of the key factors for a good night's sleep is to have a decrease in core body temperature while keeping your hands and feet warm. It is recommended to take a warm bath approximately 1.5 to 2 hours before bedtime, with water temperature around 35°C to 37°C, close to body temperature. This initially raises your body temperature and then allows it to naturally decrease. As your core body temperature drops, you naturally feel more inclined to sleep.

2.Avoid consuming alcohol before sleep

4 Bedtime Habits to Avoid for a Good Nights Sleep

Many people have the habit of having a drink before bed, using alcohol as a sleep aid. However, alcohol disrupts the sleep pattern. While alcohol can indeed help you fall asleep faster, it only keeps you in shallow sleep. When the effects of alcohol wear off, the accompanying headaches and dizziness make it even harder to fall back asleep. Additionally, alcohol relaxes the muscles around the airways, causing breathing difficulties during sleep and affecting the quality of sleep. Therefore, relying on alcohol to fall asleep not only impairs the quality of your sleep but also leads to various discomforting symptoms the next morning, leaving you feeling more fatigued mentally.

3.Avoid sharing your bed with pets

Many people enjoy sleeping in the same room or even the same bed with their pets because the presence of a pet provides a sense of security that helps them fall asleep easily. However, experts believe that co-sleeping with pets can potentially affect the quality of sleep. Vsevolod Polotsky, the Director of Sleep Research at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, suggests that pets' sleep patterns are not continuous, and they may wake up, move around, or bark, causing interruptions in human sleep. Kristen Knutson, an Associate Professor of Neurology and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, also believes that the influence of animals on their owners can lead to "micro-awakenings" during deep sleep, triggering the release of cortisol and resulting in poorer sleep quality.

4.Avoid engaging in activities other than sleeping while in bed

Clinical psychologist Ms Daisy suggests that the bed should be reserved solely for sleep and not used for work, eating, or watching television. This is crucial for maintaining a healthy sleep pattern. It's important to ensure that the sleeping environment is dedicated to restful sleep, and one should only get into bed when feeling sleepy. Once the bed becomes associated with work or other activities, it becomes more difficult to fall asleep. Furthermore, using electronic devices before bed can negatively impact sleep quality. According to a survey by the International Sleep Foundation, many people have a habit of using various electronic devices in the hour before sleep. The light emitted by electronic devices stimulates the brain, making it difficult for the brain to relax. Additionally, the blue light and strong illumination from screens can trick the brain into thinking it's still daytime, making it harder to fall asleep.

4 Bedtime Habits to Avoid for a Good Nights Sleep

Ms Daisy also points out that urban dwellers often face high work pressure and lack leisure time. Stress can easily trigger anxiety and lead to repetitive thinking patterns. It also causes the release of stress-related hormones and the secretion of substances that affect emotions, such as cortisol, which makes it difficult to fall asleep. Therefore, the only time when the mind can truly relax is when one gets into bed. However, once the mind starts to relax, various lingering thoughts and creative ideas may flood in, making it difficult to quiet the mind and fall asleep. In such cases, Ms Daisy suggests that if you can't sleep, it's best to leave the bed, find another place in the house to engage in relaxing activities, and cultivate sleepiness. Once you feel sleepy again, you can then return to bed to rest.

For example, having an OSIM uDream Pro Well-Being Chair at home is a great choice. Unlike traditional massage chairs, the uDream Pro has a unique "One Touch Paradise" that incorporates a guided visualization technique commonly used in psychology. Ms Daisy explains that guided visualization often involves having the patient imagine being in a specific natural setting and verbally guiding their five senses to experience it, creating a sense of relaxation. With a gentle touch, the uDream Pro presents users with breathtaking natural scenes and synchronizes the five senses through voice guidance, stress-reducing music, ambient lighting, and OSIM's patented massage technology. This instantly transports users into a natural environment, allowing them to let go of their everyday work pressures. It is best to use it before sleep daily, allowing oneself to enter a state of complete relaxation, cultivating sleepiness, and gradually associating it with sleep. When sitting on the uDream Pro, one will naturally feel sleepy, facilitating a restful sleep.

In addition to aiding in sleep, the uDream Pro also monitors users' stress levels and, through OSIM's unique AI wellness technology system, continuously learns and evolves based on big data. It customizes a personalized 5 Sense stress-relief experience to help users reduce stress and promote better sleep. Using patented biometric sensors, the uDream Pro can measure users' stress levels, heart age, heart rate variability, and respiratory rate, among other health indicators. It then tailor-made the 5 Sense stress-relief formula to suit the user's specific stress level at any given time. Users can also track the long-term trends of their health indicators through the app, allowing them to be aware of how their stress levels may affect their sleep.

If you're currently struggling with insomnia, in addition to improving your bedtime habits, consider adding an OSIM uDream Pro Well-Being Chair to your home. This way, you can stay informed and track your stress levels while enjoying the unique 5 Sense stress-relief formula, helping you achieve a restful night's sleep ! https://bit.ly/3TpMZSS

4 Bedtime Habits to Avoid for a Good Night's Sleep! Clinical Psychologist Recommends Sleep Tips to Say Goodbye to Insomnia

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