Before bed, some people like to relax with a puzzle. Sudoku is a simple one that can be enjoyed before bed without any distractions. However, some experts say that sudoku is not good for insomnia patients because it stimulates the brain too much. It is up to each person to decide if sudoku is calming or stimulating before bedtime.
In this article, you will learn how Sudoku puzzles help you to fall asleep together with some other tips and tricks to have a good night’s sleep you’ve always been dreaming of.
Is sudoku good before bed?
Playing Sudoku before bed may or may not have a beneficial effect depending on the individual’s current health condition. Usually, playing Sudoku helped others to sleep well after completing one while others don’t.
Completing a Sudoku puzzle may help others fall asleep easily because it gives them a sense of peace and calmness because they only focus on only one thing.
When a person thinks about a single thing at a time, they may feel some sense of control over what should be running on their mind. With this, all of the signals inside their brain tend to slow down and give off a relaxing effect on their body.
On the other hand, others may not be able to fall asleep after completing one Sudoku puzzle because of their sense of accomplishment that gives off energy to go for more.
A pleasurable feeling is evident in a person when they have been able to complete a Sudoku puzzle. With this idea, they tend to go for more Sudoku puzzles to feel the same exact pleasure they’ve received which eventually leads to sleep deprivation if done at night.
The benefits of playing Sudoku puzzles outweigh some of its disadvantages when you are fully aware of your health.
What happens to your brain when you don’t get enough sleep?
Sleeping is essential for our overall health and survival. If we don’t get enough sleep, our body will have a hard time coping up and bouncing back to its lively state.
Playing Sudoku puzzles before bed is not bad at all. What’s worse is when you don’t know when to stop.
You see, sleeping is the body’s natural resting state from its consciousness.
All throughout the entire day, our body is consciously running and working to do the intended task of the day. These activities require a lot of energy to accomplish that’s why we opt to eat and sleep to balance things out.
Between eating and sleeping, sleeping is more important than eating to regain the body’s strength.
Studies have shown that an adult should at least sleep for 7 to 8 hours a day to maintain balanced health.
However, because of a fast-paced stressful environment, a normal working adult is sleeping less than the recommended hours of healthy sleep leading to sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation is a condition where a person is sleeping less than they should due to various reasons such as stress, improper nutrition, and unhealthy sleeping environment, and more.
With prolonged sleep deprivation, many health issues like hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and more may be evident as a result.
To lessen the chance of experiencing the diseases stated above, ways to achieve a peaceful, quiet, and comfortable sleep should be one’s goal.
Here are 25 ways to improve sleep and sleeping habits:
- Lessen exposure to blue lights 2 hours before sleep
- Don’t take long naps in the daytime
- Be consistent with your sleeping time every night
- Invest in a high-quality sleeping pillow and mattress
- Know the best sleeping position depending on your body’s condition
- Use your bedroom for sleeping activities only
- Wake up at the same time in the morning
- Make sure to check on your caffeine intake
- Exercise regularly
- Eat foods that will nourish your body properly
- Limit alcohol intake
- Use dim lights in your bedroom 1 hour before bedtime
- Try listening to soft music before sleeping
- Use separate beds for your fur babies
- Cooldown your room and body
- Practice meditation
- Use sleeping pills in moderation to avoid drug dependency
- Put on your best sleeping outfit
- Try using aromatics
- Take your vitamins and other supplements
- Eat your dinner 3 hours before bedtime
- Try to limit strenuous activities 3 hours before bedtime
- Have a visit to your doctor to know your sleeping health condition
- Do yoga or slow stretches 1 hour before bedtime
- Play a Sudoku puzzle to quiet down your mind
1. Lessen exposure to blue lights 2 hours before sleep
Blue lights are emitted by our gadgets to help us see things on it however, with too much exposure to blue light our eye muscles may feel strained making our vision blurry and our headaches.
Not only that, since blue light is still a form of light, our brain may mistakenly sense it as “daytime” even if it’s not making it difficult for us to fall asleep.
Limiting blue light exposure before bedtime will give your eye muscles time to relax slowly and will give your brain the right indication of nighttime.
2. Don’t take long naps in the daytime
Taking long naps during the daytime will make it difficult for you to fall asleep at night because you’ve not drained your energy allotted for the entire day.
If you can’t help but take a nap, set an alarm for your naptime for about 30 to 45 minutes a day. It’s enough to give you a boost of energy to take you through your daily tasks and still get sleepy when it’s your bedtime.
3. Be consistent with your sleeping time every night
They say consistency is key in everything we do. Indeed!
Always set your sleep time at the same time every day to help your body know its sleeping schedule. This will help you automatically doze off after days of consistent practice.
4. Invest in a high-quality sleeping pillow and mattress
Our sleep quality may also be affected by what we use in our bedroom. Make sure to invest in a high-quality pillow and mattress so that your body won’t feel sore the next morning.
5. Know the best sleeping position depending on your body’s condition
As working adults, we are prone to different body aches because of several ergonomic hazards.
The best way to soothe those body aches is to know what sleeping position you should do.
Check this article to learn more about the best sleeping position for your body.
6. Use your bedroom for sleeping activities only.
Our bedroom should only be for sleeping activities alone.
Try not to use your bedroom as the place where you study, work, watch TV, play games, and do other stimulating activities because it’ll create a working and stimulating environment making it difficult for you to sleep during your bedtime.
7. Wake up at the same time in the morning
Set the same alarm time every day. This will help your body know that its “charging time” is finished and you should be ready to go for another adventure at school or work.
8. Make sure to check on your caffeine intake
Caffeinated beverages are stimulants that’s why they should be taken only in the morning to give a shot of energy you need for your day.
It is not advisable to drink caffeinated drinks later in the day because it’ll take roughly 8 to 10 hours before it exits your body thus may affect the quality of your sleep.
9. Exercise regularly
Having regular exercise helps your body release its physical stress and balances out your hormones thus, making it easier for you to fall asleep like a baby at night.
10. Eat foods that will nourish your body properly
Proper nutrition comes with great responsibility!
You should always take into account your food intake because not only it’ll give you enough energy and nutrition you need, but also help out your body to balance out the activities happening inside you.
Try using fresh produce for your meals and limit the use of processed foods and notice the change in the quality of your sleep.
11. Limit alcohol intake
Though alcohol consumption may make you feel sleepy after glasses, it’s still not a good recommendation for a good quality sleep ritual in the long run because you’ll end up wasting the next day.
With that, you’ll make it difficult for you to sleep peacefully afterward.
12. Use dim lights in your bedroom 1 hour before bedtime
Dim lights can send off signals in your brain that it’s almost nighttime and you need to rest for your body to recharge and detoxify.
It’ll help your body to prepare for sleeping by starting to slow down all their activities in response to a dim environment.
13. Try listening to soft music before sleeping
Soft music gives a soothing and calming feeling. It’ll help you relax by massaging your brain with soft soundwaves as it slows down all your body’s processes.
14. Use separate beds for your fur babies
Indeed it’s nice to sleep with your fur babies so you can cuddle them but those sweet moments will eventually interrupt your good night’s sleep when they started to jump onto you in the middle of the night.
It’s better to have a separate bed for your fur babies that you can place near yours to feel each other’s company.
15. Cooldown your room and body
Set your air conditioning around 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit and take a quick shower before bed to cool and slow down your body.
With a low temperature, your body will easily relax on its own and you’ll fall into a peaceful sleep in no time.
16. Practice meditation
Meditation is a good way to silence our noisy minds from unnecessary things.
Breathe deep and slow. Let go of unnecessary thoughts that had happened and free yourself for yesterday’s and tomorrow’s worries. Focus at present. Be with yourself at the moment.
17. Use sleeping pills in moderation to avoid drug dependency
Some may have an extreme sleeping problem that leads them to use medications like sleeping pills.
Sleeping pills are a band-aide solution to make you fall asleep. It shouldn’t be taken for the long term because you may depend on it too much and won’t be able to fall asleep on your own without it.
18. Put on your best sleeping outfit
Take out the best sleeping outfit you have in your closet. Make sure it’s the most comfortable one to make you feel more relaxed and free.
19. Try using aromatics
Scented candles, essential oils, and other scented incense may help you fall asleep sooner than expected. Try using any of those to know which suits your nose best.
20. Take your vitamins and other supplements
Regularly take your vitamins and other supplements to take good care of your health. They will give you all the support your body needs to work efficiently and properly all the time.
21. Eat your dinner 3 hours before bedtime
Do not sleep with a full stomach. Your body will have “overtime work” to do just to digest it properly.
22. Try to limit strenuous activities 3 hours before bedtime
Make sure to give off all your energy for the entire day during the daytime to give your body some time to recover. When you do your strenuous exercise a few hours before bedtime, it’ll be hard for you to slow your body down because it just started pumping up.
Just think of it as the car’s engine that has been recently opened. It’ll increase its temperature and when you suddenly turned it off, it will take time to cool its engine.
23. Do yoga or slow stretches 1 hour before bedtime
Yoga or any slow stretches helps your body to untangle your sore muscles. It’s best to practice bedtime stretches or yoga an hour before bed to give yourself some time to relax.
24. Play a Sudoku puzzle to quiet down your mind
Playing Sudoku puzzle can quiet down your mind in an instant.
The effort you exert to think about which number should be put on the next blank space gives a time out for your busy brain thus helping you to fall asleep sooner than expected.
25. Have a visit to your doctor to know your sleeping health condition
When all of the listed strategies still won’t work, it’s best to seek professional help to identify why you can’t sleep properly. In this way, you’ll know what to do to manage your condition safely and properly.
FINAL SAY
Playing Sudoku is a fun way to release stress and slow down our mind and body before we sleep.
Moreover, there is no evidence that sudoku is bad for you before bed. However, it is a good idea to avoid work or stress-related activities before bed. So, if you are looking for a fun way to relax before bed, sudoku may be a good option for you.
Remember, anything too much we do will always be harmful to us even though it may seem to be not at first glance like too much playing of Sudoku puzzles at night.
Sleep is an essential part of our lives for health and survival so, better sleep properly to see the beauty of tomorrow!
Interested in Sudoku puzzles? Check this article out!
Who plays Sudoku? Know if you’re one who can
