Page 35 - Seniors Toady March 2020
P. 35
Fitness
Hit the sack,
cut the slack
What does fitness have to do with sleep?
Dr Nileena NKM explains
Sleep is one of the main pillars of healthy living, relaxation exercises
and yet highly neglected. The various dimensions •Warm bath 1-2 hrs before bedtime
of good sleep include subjective satisfaction,
appropriate timing, adequate duration, high Don’ts -
efficiency, and sustained alertness during waking •Frequent naps during day
hours. Anything that can affect the above can •Late dinner – within 2 hours of bedtime
lead to poor sleep quality. •Late night caffeinated beverages like tea/coffee/
Poor sleep quality is not uncommon among the hot chocolate
elderly. Various contributing factors include: •Late exercise - 4-6 hours before bedtime
•Changes in sleep pattern in the form of frequent •Alcohol/tobacco use at night
awakenings, decreased deeper stages of sleep and •Going to bed when not feeling sleepy, and clock-
increased daytime naps. watching
•Changes in circadian rhythm (biological clock) •Using bed for lounging, reading, eating,
making the person fall asleep earlier and wake watching TV, etc
up earlier. It is commonly seen that people tend to exercise
•Decreased melatonin secretion. vigorously late at night in an attempt to feel tired
•Chronic illnesses and medications and thereby to fall asleep easily. However, for
•Psychiatric illnesses most people, such exercise can make them more
•Poor sleep hygiene and new onset sleep excited rather than drowsy. Therefore, vigorous
disorders like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, exercise should be avoided 4-6 hours before
etc bedtime for a good night’s sleep.
Sleep Hygiene How to sleep better
The role of sleep hygiene in the management of Here are some exercises that can help you sleep
any sleep disorder cannot be stressed enough. better.
Dos - It has been often observed that any exercise that
•Morning sunlight exposure for 30 minutes can slightly raise the body temperature can help
•A regular sleep/exercise schedule in improving sleep health. A walk before bedtime
•Unwinding regime before bedtime through at a speed just enough to feel warm (moderate
35 SENIORS TODAY | Issue #9 | March 15, 2020
