How to Stay Healthy Before Bed
One hour before bed may not seem like much, but it is actually a crucial time for our health and disease prevention. For those who often suffer from insomnia, it is important to implement some health measures before bed to promote sleep. And for those who do not have a history of insomnia, engaging in some health practices before bed can also help promote deep sleep and improve overall well-being.
How to Stay Healthy Before Bed
1. Drink Some Water: Reduce Blood Viscosity
During sleep, we tend to sweat slightly, causing a gradual decrease in the water content in our blood and an increase in blood viscosity. This poses a risk for cardiovascular disease patients.
The biggest advantage of drinking water before bed is that it can reduce blood viscosity. Therefore, it is recommended to drink some water before bed, even if you are not thirsty, to dilute blood viscosity and reduce the chances of sudden events like myocardial infarction, angina, and stroke.
For cardiovascular disease patients, it is advisable to keep a glass of water by the bedside, so they can take a sip if they wake up at night. For diabetes patients, maintaining adequate hydration also helps control blood sugar levels.
Note: If you have liver or kidney metabolism issues or frequently need to wake up to urinate, please do not drink too much water.
2. Brush Your Teeth: Prevent Heart Disease
Brushing your teeth before bed is more important than in the morning. It not only helps remove oral debris but also protects your teeth and promotes a restful sleep.
Note: It is best to use an up-and-down brushing technique when brushing your teeth. If there are food residues between your teeth, you can use dental floss.
3. Comb Your Hair: Calm the Mind, Promote Longevity
There are many important acupuncture points on our head, such as the Baihui point, but it may be difficult for you to find them accurately. One simple method is to massage your scalp with your fingers, stimulating the acupuncture points on your head.
Combing your hair can have a massaging and stimulating effect, helping to soothe the liver, relieve wind, open the orifices, and alleviate pain and improve vision, among other benefits.
Combing your hair with your fingers until your scalp becomes red and warm before bed can promote blood circulation in the head, improve brain function and memory, nourish the hair roots, reduce hair loss, eliminate brain fatigue, and facilitate falling asleep.
Note: Massaging the head can also improve symptoms of migraine. Each massage session should last around 5 minutes.
4. Massage Your Legs: Improve Vascular Circulation
While lying in bed, you can also engage in some health practices before falling asleep, such as massaging your calves.
There are veins in the calves, and massaging them can improve venous circulation, which has a beneficial effect on patients with hyperlipidemia and hypertension and can also help prevent heart disease.
Note: When massaging or kneading the legs, do not exert too much force or make excessive movements. There should be a slight sensation of soreness.
5. Soak Your Feet: Promote Blood Circulation, Activate Metabolism
The feet are the farthest part from the heart and do not easily receive nutrients and blood. Soaking your feet in warm water before bed can promote blood circulation and accelerate metabolism.
If you can develop a habit of washing your feet with warm water (40°C-50°C) and massaging the soles and toes before going to bed every night, it can help promote the circulation of qi and blood and relax the tendons and activate the collaterals.
According to physicians, there is a golden time for foot soaking. The best time to soak your feet in warm water is between 9 pm and 11 pm. This can divert our attention to the lower limbs, and our mental focus has an influence on the circulation of qi and blood. When our attention is focused on the lower limbs, the qi and blood flow downward.
