Winter is the lowest temperature season in a year, especially in the north. At this time, it is freezing, covered with silver, yin is supreme, and yang is gradually decreasing. At this time, many creatures have entered a state of hibernation, but human beings, unlike ordinary animals, can't hibernate and can only cope by changing their sleep patterns. Four aspects should be paid attention to in winter sleep.
The first is bedtime. With the coming of winter, the days are shortened and the nights are increased. Chinese medicine believes that people's sleep should also conform to the changes of nature and adopt the way of going to bed early and getting up late. Going to bed early can protect the body's heat, thus maintaining yang; Getting up late can avoid cold at night and nourish yin, thus achieving the balance of yin and yang in the human body. However, due to the low temperature in winter, people reduce their outdoor activities and feel sleepy. Although it is necessary to increase sleep time properly in winter, too long sleep time will also have side effects, such as dizziness and head swelling. Continued long sleep will accelerate people's aging. Usually sleep about 8 hours at night, and it can be increased to 9- 10 hours in winter.
Secondly, the matters needing attention in daily life. The temperature is low in winter, so you should sleep mainly to keep warm. The Health Mirror in the Qing Dynasty pointed out: "In winter and March, when the water is closed, it is easiest to leave Yuanyang in order to nourish the true qi." It can be seen that the most important thing to sleep in winter is to ensure that the indoor temperature is constant and not too low, otherwise it will easily lead to colds, coughs and asthma; But not too high. In dry winter, if the indoor temperature is too high, people will have internal fire, and once they go out and get cold, they are prone to symptoms such as exogenous fever. In addition, it is best to wear pajamas to sleep, so as to keep warm and keep out the cold, and to avoid the wind on your back.
Thirdly, sleep and diet are complementary, and a reasonable diet can promote sleep. In winter, the kidney dominates the kidney, which corresponds to the winter, and the kidney dominates the salty taste, so we should eat some salty and delicious food in winter to replenish qi and strengthen the kidney. Eat less sticky and cold food to avoid abdominal distension, physical weakness and cold, leading to insomnia. It is dry indoors in winter, and drink tea and water before going to bed. Tea soaked in Gynostemma pentaphyllum can replenish water to help sleep, and it can also reduce the three highs, which is one of the good choices.
Finally, winter sleep should be combined with exercise. The cold weather in winter consumes a lot of body fat, which makes people feel hungry easily, so people have a better appetite in winter than in other seasons. At the same time, due to the cold outside, children often ignore exercise after a full meal, which leads to food accumulation in the stomach and insomnia. Therefore, when the weather is fine in winter, you should go out for activities after meals, and it is best to take a walk to solve indigestion. If the weather is bad, you can massage your abdomen at home to promote gastrointestinal digestion and lay a good foundation for sleeping peacefully.