Activate Your Parasympathetic Nervous System for Better Sleep
We all know how to sleep well, but whether to sleep well or not is another matter entirely! Modern people's lives are stressful, and the busy rhythm seems to compress precious sleep time. At this time, the "quality" of sleep is relatively important! Our human body has an innate menstrual cycle, and we want to sleep at night, wake up when the sun rises. What dominates all this is the autonomic nervous system, which is like the ON & OFF switch of the human body. The autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. When the sympathetic nervous system is working.
When the body is ON, the person's blood vessels constrict as if in a state of preparation; on the contrary, when the parasympathetic nervous system is working, It becomes OFF, and the person's blood vessels are in a relaxed state. People who have difficulty falling asleep or sleeping well may be caused by the dominance of the sympathetic nervous system. If the autonomic nervous system is imbalanced for a long time, it will not only affect sleep, but also reduce immunity and harm health.
So, there are many ways to put your parasympathetic nervous system to your advantage if you want to sleep well:
Try to increase your activity level during the day and use your free time to do some light labor work or muscle training. Office workers who sit for a long time get up and move around every 30 minutes. Take transportation home from work and get off the bus one stop earlier to increase the chance of walking. Take a bath. If you don’t have a bathtub, you can also soak your feet, but try to soak as high as your calves. Do some light stretching before going to bed.
The most effective method is abdominal breathing! When the sympathetic nervous system has the upper hand, breathing is shallow and fast. Consciously letting yourself inhale slowly and exhale slowly can slowly switch to the state of parasympathetic nervous system OFF. The body will feel the relaxation and healing effects, and it will naturally be easier to fall asleep!
