Well-tried ways teachers can improve their sleep

A good night’s sleep is the holy grail for this generation of overworked and over-stressed persons. For teachers, a decent night’s rest is especially critical, especially when the next morning relates to managing a classroom of excitable and unruly children. But getting a full eight hours of slumber isn’t as elusive as you might think.

What’s the best time to sleep

What’s the best time to go to bed? It alters considerably from individual to individual so there’s no easy answer. Matt Walker, faculty member of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, says sleepers are given to fall into two categories: larks, who are early risers and sleepers, and owls, those who nap late and wake late. The group you fall into depends on your circadian biological rhythm and the number of hours you’ve been awake, but the typical bedtime for an adult is 11pm. Walker adds that the most critical thing, however, is to get seven to nine hours each night.

How to reset your sleep routine

 It happens that once you find the correct bedtime for you, implement it even at weekends.On average many people go to bed earliest during the week and then change at the weekend by going to bed and up later. But, as Walker tells, to a lesser extent unless you wake up at a set time, you begin to push and pull the circadian biological rhythm forwards and backwards. He says: “Come Sunday evening, you face the need to drag that rhythm back several hours, which is biologically stressful for brain and body. It’s social jetlag – the equivalent of flying back and forth from London to Moscow every week.”

Beware of cold feet or warmed feet

While the temperature of your toes might not seem crucial to getting a good night’s sleep, but if your feet are too warmed or too cold it can cause sleeplessness. Richard Wiseman, professor of the public understanding of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire,notifies that those with bad circulation to wear a set of warm socks to bed. He adds that most sleep scientists recommend a bedroom temperature of just over 18°C (65°F), and about 65% humidity.

Sleeping in pitch dark

No matter how science tells us that how light or dark the area is at bedtime matters. Studies show that light can delay the production of melatonin, a chemical in the body that anticipates the daily onset of darkness. Another survey by scientists at the University of Granada also found out that sleeping in pitch black is important for the metabolism. To help make your area sleep conducive, it’s worth investment in some blackout blinds or purchasing yourself an eye-mask. Another top tip is to dim the lights ahead before you go to bed signaling to your body that dark is setting in.

Set aside the laptop

It’s tempting to watch something on your laptop to help you drift off, but the light of a computer screen can keep you awake longer and can even reduce your quality of sleep. In a study by Brigham and Women’s hospital in the US, led by neuroscientist Anne-Marie Chang, a group of people were asked to sleep in a private hospital room for two weeks and read before bed, some using a book and others an iPad. Those using the iPad reportedly felt less tired at night and took longer to get to sleep. They also felt less alert in the morning.

Use the 90-minute cycle

It is ideal that we sleep in 90-minute cycles that start with being awake, followed by light sleep, deep sleep and finally rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is close to being awake (it’s when most dreaming takes place). In his book Night School,Wiseman writes: “By the time the first dream has finished, about 90 minutes will have elapsed. That sleep cycle is then repeated several times throughout the night.” To wake up after REM, rather than deep sleep (an especially refreshing stage in the sleep cycle,) he talk over tracking back in approximately 90-minute slots from when you want to wake and intent to get sleep by that time. If you’re struggling to work out when that is, there’s an app to help.

Thinking about what you consume and drink before bed also has an effect.

You might think you are averting caffeine, but look cautiously at teas, soft drinks, cold and headache medications where caffeine may be hiding. Alcohol close to bedtime may help you fall asleep, but when it wears off, you’ll get up in the middle of the night and have problem falling back to sleep.

In the normal cycle, deeper REM sleep does not come until several hours in. Alcohol right before bed results in early onset REM thus helps with falling asleep. Nevertheless, after some hours, the early REM is followed by sleep fragmentation – frequent awakenings. A person lies in bed awake and come morning does not feel fresh. The environment in which you sleep should also be cooler as this is miore sleep conducive.

If some worries do wedge themselves into your sleep cycle, write out on

an external notecard. Most importantly, let your last thoughts include self-recognition for the vital work you do and drift to dreamland recalling the day’s school successes and the faces to which you brought smiles.

Turning on your bedside lamps

Other than the reality its looking cozy and inviting, there’s another explanation why it’s essential to not have the main bedroom lights blasting, and that is because, just like the blue light we mentioned above, too much light stops your body making the right amount of melatonin.

Melatonin adjust the sleep / wake cycle. It increases with dark and decreases with light, so you can see it is essential to create the correct level of darkness when you mean to go to sleep.

Keep a pen and paper by your bed every night

Put a book next to your bed, or if you keep a bullet journal use this.

Make certain you have a pen there as well.

This is to forbid those late night “OMG”s, when you remember that you need to book the dog into the vet for its vaccinations, or to shift that hair appointment.

And like all things, you’ll likely find that since you have planned for it, you won’t need it.

What time at night should I stop eating?

Once again, this depends on what instance you’re planning on going to bed and finally what you feel comfortable with.

There’s statement to be found for not eating three or so hours before a meal.

There’s alternative arguments that if you’re too hungry you won’t sleep.

In person, consuming all my food by 7 pm means I’m not going to bed feeling bloated or full.

Interestingly, one study showed that not eating after 7 pm caused contestants to lose weight more than when they were able to eat after 7 pm (where they actually gained weight).