By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: Due to spiritual activities and eating habits during Ramadan, many people now have disruptions in sleep patterns, which has resulted in a shortened sleep duration, leaving people feeling tired and sluggish during the day, even after Eid. To improve and maintain a consistent sleep schedule, Coach and Nutrition Consultant Abdullah Al-Mesbah gave some advice to people with sleeping problems and how they can adjust after Ramadan. “It is normal that most people get used to staying up late because of the Ramadan routine but they find it difficult to return to the normal sleep routine after it,” he said.

“Therefore, some solutions and strategies may help people adjust their hours of sleep in the fastest way possible. First, it is necessary to force yourself to get up early. For example, you have to get up at 10 in the morning and not sleep until the evening. The person will then be tired at night and will be able to sleep. If you do not have a job, the situation can be difficult and tiring. So, the person must distract themselves until the evening with sports, visits, etc in order not to stay home and sleep in the afternoon and spoil the plan,” Mesbah said.

Mesbah said it is possible to adjust sleeping and waking up daily step by step. “For example, going to sleep at four instead of five in the morning, and waking up at 11 in the morning instead of noon. On the second day, sleep at three and wake up at 10, and so on until the normal routine returns after about a week,” he advised.

“Cut caffeine sources such as coffee and tea at least six hours before bedtime, and preferably 10 hours; you can drink decaffeinated coffee as an alternative. Also, eating a meal high in carbohydrates or starch such as rice, bread, potatoes and oats before bedtime may help you sleep, but choose healthy options not high in fat,” he pointed out.

Mesbah revealed some fruits may help one go to sleep, such as bananas, cherries and kiwis, as well as reducing blue light, such as neon lights, especially in the evening. “Turn on the night mode on smart devices and stay away from them an hour and two hours before bed. This will help,” he said. To adjust sleeping hours, he advised people to take supplements such as a dose of 200-400 mg of magnesium bis-glycinate half an hour before bedtime. “Also, they can take 3-4 mg of melatonin half an hour before bedtime. In addition, lavender oil can be applied on the pillow, body or used as a scent, along with 100-200 mg of L-theanine supplement,” he added.