8 steps to make sleep an "anti-cancer weapon"! Famous doctors share the key to high-quality sleep: not just listening to white noise is useful
Have you ever wondered why a good night’s sleep is so critical to staying away from cancer, improving your ability to withstand stress, and even during recovery for cancer patients? Sleep is actually closely related to as many as 80 diseases, and good sleep quality is also crucial for the body’s repair work. This got us thinking: How can you improve your sleep to promote physical and mental health and win the battle against cancer?
8 steps to strengthen physiological repair and enhance immunity to make sleep an “anti-cancer weapon”
Sleep consists of four to six ninety-minute cycles each night, progressing from light sleep to deep sleep and finally to rapid eye movement. The quality of sleep directly affects mental state and memory, and deep sleep and rapid eye movement periods are crucial for body repair and the enhancement of memory and concentration. Modern sleep technology uses electroencephalography, electrooculography, electromyography, and electrocardiography, which are highly correlated with heart rate variability, to accurately measure sleep status and nervous system activity, providing new ways to deeply understand and manage sleep.
In order to improve sleep quality, it is recommended to go to bed earlier in the evening, especially between 10 and 10:30 pm. Doing so takes full advantage of your sleep cycle, especially the non-rapid eye movement phase, to enhance physiological repair and build immunity. It should be after the REM phase when you wake up, when you feel most alert. It is recommended to use a gentle alarm or wake up naturally. To promote healthy sleep habits, here are some specific nightly steps:
Step 1. 6-8pm: End all eating.
Step 2. 9pm: Turn off electronic devices, perform aromatherapy and dim the lights.
Step 3. 9:15 pm: Take a hot bath or foot soak.
Step 4. 9:30 pm: Use minimal light, light candles, and listen to soft classical music.
Step 5. 9:40 pm: Do gentle stretching or myofascial massage.
Step 6. 10 p.m.: Write down ideas or plans in your diary.
Step 7: 10:15 pm: Meditate for 5 to 15 minutes, then blow out the candles.
Step 8. 10:30 pm: Make sure the room is completely dark and go to bed.
Is insomnia a problem with the “sympathetic nerve”? Famous doctor reveals 9 tricks to relax and fall asleep in seconds
To improve sleep quality, focus on increasing parasympathetic nervous system activity and reducing sympathetic nervous system stimulation, which helps with relaxation and sleep and can benefit both healthy people and cancer patients. Here are some effective tips for a good night’s sleep:
Tip 1: Pay attention to the bedroom layout, especially the light-blocking properties of curtains. Keeping your bedroom dark helps maintain your circadian rhythm and your immune system.
Tip 2: Turn off all electronic devices one hour before going to bed to reduce light stimulation of the brain.
Tip 3. Pet therapy: Choose a pet that can make calming sounds, such as a cat’s purr, to help relax.
Tip 4: Use “white noise” to block external disturbing sounds and help maintain a calm sleeping environment.
Tip 5. Aromatherapy: Use essential oils such as lavender to promote sleep through olfactory relaxation.
Tip 6: Implement deep breathing and meditation.
Tip 7: Use candles occasionally to create a relaxing atmosphere.
Tip 8: Drink moderate amounts of herbal tea with soothing effects.
Tip 9: Do gentle stretching exercises or internal organ massage (such as the “liver dance” below).
During sleep, the purification and detoxification of the liver is an important part of the body’s repair, especially between one and three o’clock in the middle of the night, which is the peak time for liver detoxification. This process is best performed during deep sleep. In order to help the function of the liver, it is recommended to do a simple exercise called “liver dance” every night before going to bed. This movement is designed to massage the liver through gentle movement of the ribs, thus promoting its detoxification function.
The specific action is: place your right hand on the right ribs, and place your left hand on top of your right hand. Then, lightly touch the inside of the ribs with your right finger, and let the ribs drive the liver to dance gently. This movement involves expanding to the right and compressing to the left, as if massaging the body and internal organs. Next, expand and contract the ribs and draw clockwise and counterclockwise circles with your body while keeping your head and hips still. In this way, the ribs move side to side, front and back, similar to a liver massage.
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