The routine before bed is no longer the classic “pee bed”. Now there are several preparations to make: some more beneficial to health than others warn experts.
“In the past, it was thought that sleep was not important,” begins medical teacher Jag sunder to. “I think the tendency to understand that sleep is really important, that the reason why sleep is important and that one should focus on sleep is a good thing,” he adds.
The problem is that the #sleepmaxxing It took this principle too seriously. It is a trend (or trend), which has hundreds of thousands of views on Tiktok and other social networks. Consists of Add a large amount of activities or products to the practice of… sleeping.
Some of the tips given by “sleep influencers” are scientific evidence: not drinking coffee or alcohol in hours before going to bed, avoiding blue light (from mobile phones, for example), sleeping in a fresh and dark room and regulating sleep hours, for example.
Even the strange practice of using peso blankets (literally heavier blankets) can really be beneficial. The weight leads the body to segregate a little more oxytocin, the “hormone of love” that humans experience when they sleep embracing, for example. Consequently, they feel relaxed and reduce stress hormone, cortisol, which can interrupt sleep.
But things get complicated, and there are already people adding, for example, nasal strips To breathe better. This practice warns experts is dangerous for those who have, for example, obstructive sleep apnea, a total or partial collapse of the airways. It can also cause tissue damage.
“If someone feels that the difficulty with nasal breathing is affecting his sleep, he should talk to his health professional,” warns Sleep Medicine Professor Anita Shergikar.
Other frequent tips are Applications that monitor sleep. Rafael Pelayo, a teacher of sleep medical specialist, explains that these applications can leave the user stressed and even influence his own sleep, namely when they give negative feedback on how we sleep.
Another bizarre practice is the Red light glasses. Here, science is divided: there are those who believe they stimulate the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
Another problem for health may also be intake of supplements such as magnesium or melatonin, also promoted by this “sleep culture”. “Some medical conditions can get worse with the use of magnesium supplements“Explains Shergikar. Any sleep disorder should first be evaluated by a healthcare professional, he explains.
Of course having a good sleep routine can be beneficial, from “natural” solutions (yes, the sleepmaxxers also ingest, for example, kiwis, who have antioxidants and serotonin precursors that can help fall asleep), but experts warn that they warn experts alert Sleep cannot be a “high pressure task”.
Shelgikar summarizes: “For some people, being too aware of sleep optimization and sleep patterns can increase stress and make sleep worse over time.”
