Exhausted yet wide awake? Get night sleep properly

Insomnia, or inability to fall asleep or stay asleep at night, is fast emerging as a huge global health concern. Stress at work, lack of physical exercise, high levels of tech engagement and poor sleep hygiene are some of the most significant factors causing insomnia. So make sure you are getting rid of it in smart ways.

Ankit Garg, Co-founder and CEO of Wakefit.co and Devrath Vijay, Founder of the functional training studio, The Outfit list down five guaranteed means to cure insomnia

* Have an early dinner: Sleep scientists and medical researchers often stress on the importance of having at least 1.5-2 hours of gap between having dinner and hitting the bed. Otherwise, it may lead to indigestion, which can be a salient cause for insomnia.

* Change your mattress: An uncomfortable mattress can wreak havoc with your sleep, forcing you to toss and turn throughout your sleeping hours. It might also cause muscular pains, nerve pinching, body ache and prolonged damage to body posture. A lot of work is being done today to optimize the ergonomics and structural development of mattresses, with innovative mattress makers.

* Step into the sleep zone: Ensure that you do not carry work related materials, gadgets or entertainment devices to your 'sleeping area'. Assign a particular 'zone of relaxation' and equip it with material that aids you in your attempt to doze off peacefully. Aromatic candles, Zen music, calm repetitive simulated sounds such as raindrops can help bring the essential peace of mind needed to enjoy uninterrupted sleep.

* Talk to a professional: While we spend our entire working hours being busy and putting up a brave face, it is only when our guard is down and we are alone that panic and anxiety set in and prevent us from falling asleep. When panic and insomnia show up together, it can be very hard to differentiate between the two. It is important to discuss our worries, concerns and apprehensions with someone who can help us battle our inner demons before they start manifesting themselves outwardly through ailments such as insomnia.

* Exercise- A physically exhausted body craves rest. Ensure that you exercise vigorously for at least an hour each day and keep taking short walks and do freehand exercises while in the office. A sedentary lifestyle, too much of junk food and lazing on the couch all day long will only bring those extreme stages of frustration where you can't sleep and your body feels completely drained out of energy to function properly.

--IANS

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