Healthy tips for feeling ‘Zzzuper’
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MANILA, Philippines — Adequate rest is essential for better mental health and well-being. This is when your body can recharge and recover from a busy world. But how many of us can really say we’ve had a good rest every day?
In 2016, the Health Living Index Survey found out that Filipinos have one of the highest rates of sleep deficiency in Asia, wherein 46% of Filipinos do not get enough sleep, while 32% said they sleep for less than six hours.
Based on the recommendation of the American National Sleep Foundation, the needed amount of sleep for adults ranges from seven to nine hours of sleep a day, while children and teenagers need substantially more sleep than adults.
The amount of rest required depends on the activities you do and what your body needs every day. Without proper and enough sleep, it could affect not just your mood but also your productivity.
Rest is power
When our head hits the pillow every night, we allow our brain to catch its breath. If we don’t get enough rest, our brain cells don’t get their much-needed break.
Lack of rest may affect one's mental and physical health, causing short-term and long-term memory problems, mood swings, anxiety and depression, inability to focus, as well as weight gain.
Some of our readers also feel that they do not get enough rest at night. In a crowdsourcing post published on The Philippine STAR’s Facebook page last Feb. 2, about 19,478 people shared what they do to cope with restless nights.
Roughly around 49.28% or 9,600 respondents said that they scroll through social media every time they are having a hard time resting at night.
Some find listening to music during late-night hours to be helpful, with 30.29% or 5,900 Facebook users responding to the post. While 10.78% or 2,100 respondents said they read a book.
Other respondents opt to watch television (7.19% or 1,400 respondents), write in a journal (1.58% or 308 respondents) as well as light a candle (0.87% or 170 respondents).
We’ve also found that some other people might find unrestful nights easier to deal with by trying to think about their problems, doing their schoolwork and gaming.
In an article published on Time Magazine titled The Power of Sleep, it noted that the way we live now checking our phones every minute, not taking time to relax without a screen in front of our faces contributes to a regular flow of stress hormones like cortisol and all that artificial light and screen time is disrupting our internal clocks.
This only proves that our late-night habits contribute to our inability to get some rest, but there are other things that might be affecting your resting habits. If you often have trouble finding the time to relax at night, small changes in your lifestyle can be helpful such as:
1. Keep caffeine levels to a minimum
Coffee is life but you might be going a little bit overboard, especially in the afternoon. Your mid-day latte might be causing you to have problems in the nighttime.
The effects of caffeine consumption can be felt for up to eight hours which is not conducive for relaxation. Caffeine acts to stimulate your brain and nervous system. It is found in many drinks such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks as well as in chocolate.
2. Avoiding late-night snacking
We know that snacks are a must for late-night TV show binge. But eating too close to bedtime is bad for your digestion which interferes with your good night’s rest. It is better to let your mind and body prepare for rest by eating two to three hours before bedtime.
3. Exercise in the morning or afternoon
Late-night physical activity causes too much adrenaline that causes the heart to beat faster and gives the person more energy as well as endorphins that act as a happiness booster because of its feel-good chemicals.
While exercise is essential to one’s health, best to schedule this in the morning or in the afternoon or at least not close to bedtime.
4. Limit screen time
Blue light waves coming from LED Lights and back-lit electronic devices disrupt our internal clocks. It's known to delay the natural production of melatonin in our bodies, which helps give a signal to us that it's time to hit the hay.
#NaturallyFeelingZzzuper
Everyone deserves a good rest after a long day of work and activities. Apart from the emotional benefits, rest is also part of keeping our health in check. Consistently not getting enough rest may increase the risk of health conditions and affect our quality of life.
Taking good care of your body and mind with enough rest, healthy habits and regular exercise can help improve one’s overall well-being as it can naturally help you start each day feeling great and ready to take on the day! Along with a proper diet and a healthy lifestyle, this new product in the market can help you with that — the NEW Vicks ZzzQuil Natural Sleep.
This new hero of the night contains 1.6 mg of melatonin per 2 servings of gummy. 1 mg melatonin when taken close to bedtime may help reduce the time to fall asleep. It also contains botanical extracts such as chamomile, lavender and valerian root.
Start each day #NaturallyFeelingZzzuper with the help of the NEW Vicks #ZzzQuil Natura Sleep gummies, proper diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle!
Vicks ZzzQuil Natura Sleep is available at all Watsons and Mercury Drug branches.
To know more about Vicks ZzzQuil Natura Sleep, follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZzzQuilPH
Always read the label before use.
MAHALAGANG PAALALA: ANG VICKS ZZZQUIL NATURA SLEEP AY HINDI GAMOT AT HINDI DAPAT GAMITING PANGGAMOT SA ANUMANG URI NG SAKIT.
ASC Reference No P100P032522VS
References:
- Filipinos rank 4th most sleepless in the world. (2019, December 11). Manila Bulletin. https://mb.com.ph/2019/12/12/filipinos-rank-4th-most-sleepless-in-the-world/
- Sleep Deprivations' Health Effects on People’s Lives. (2021, August 22). Republic of the Philippines National Nutrition Council. https://nnc.gov.ph/regional-offices/mindanao/region-ix-zamboanga-peninsula/5846-sleep-deprivations-health-effects-on-people-s-lives#:~:text=According%20to%20the%202016%20Healthy,for%20less%20than%20six%20hours.
- How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? (2021, March 10). Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need#:~:text=National%20Sleep%20Foundation%20guidelines1,enable%20their%20growth%20and%20development.&text=Knowing%20the%20general%20recommendations%20for,need%20is%20a%20first%20step.
- Sleep Deprivation: Symptoms, Causes, and Effects. HelpGuide. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/sleep-deprivation.htm
- The Power of Sleep (2014, September 11) TIME. https://time.com/3326565/the-power-of-sleep/
- The Color of the Light Affects the Circadian Rhythms. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/longhourstraining/color.html
- Rest, Relaxation And Exercise. Mental Health America. https://www.mhanational.org/rest-relaxation-and-exercise
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