Many elderly people feel that sleep is not as important as when they were young, and they only sleep for four to five hours a day. However, this is a misconception, as sufficient and high-quality sleep is crucial for their health. Elderly people should aim for at least six hours of sleep each day and follow the following five taboos to improve their sleep quality.
Avoid eating before bedtime
After entering sleep, certain systems of the body also enter a resting state. Eating before bedtime puts additional strain on the digestive system, preventing other parts of the body from getting proper rest. This not only affects falling asleep but also damages overall health.
Avoid drinking strong tea or coffee before bedtime
Caffeine-containing beverages like coffee and strong tea stimulate the mind and make it difficult to fall asleep.
Avoid talking before bedtime
Talking can excite the brain and keep it active, thus affecting sleep.
Avoid excessive mental activity before bedtime
If there is a habit of studying or working at night, it is important to finish more mentally demanding tasks before bedtime. Engaging in more relaxing activities before sleep helps relax the mind and facilitates falling asleep. Otherwise, the brain remains in an excited state, making it difficult to fall asleep even when lying in bed, and over time can lead to insomnia.
Avoid emotional excitement before bedtime
Strong emotions such as joy, anger, sadness, or worry can easily stimulate or disrupt the central nervous system, making it difficult to fall asleep or even causing insomnia. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid extreme emotions or worries before bedtime and maintain a stable emotional state.
