1. Avoid overeating: "The Master Pengzu's Theory of Nurturing Life and Health" says: "Lying down after a full meal injures the qi." "The Baopuzi: Extreme Words" also says: "Going to bed after a full meal is harmful." There is also a common saying: "Breakfast should be abundant, lunch should be good, and dinner should be light." These sayings are quite in line with the principles of health preservation. If dinner is too heavy, or if snacks are eaten before bed, and one goes to sleep without digesting the food, it increases the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, making it easy to toss and turn in bed and fall asleep, just as the "Canon" mentions, "If the stomach is not harmonious, sleep will be unpeaceful."
2. Do not go hungry: Dinner should not be too heavy, but it should not be skipped either. If you worry that eating dinner will affect your normal sleep, simply skipping it is an even worse practice. Not eating or drinking for dinner will leave you both hungry and thirsty, which can make it even harder to fall asleep. Those who are good at health preservation must ensure that dinner is light but not omitted.
3. Use less rich and greasy food: Excessive intake of rich and greasy foods like chicken, duck, fish, and meat can often affect the digestive system's absorption of food. If a large amount of such foods has been consumed at dinner, it is advisable to engage in some light activity afterward, such as a walk or doing housework, to promote digestion. Alternatively, one can delay the bedtime slightly, which might contribute to a more peaceful sleep.
4. Reasonable timing: Whether the timing of dinner and bedtime is arranged reasonably is very closely related to falling asleep peacefully and comfortably. "The Taoist Master's Health Song" says: "Eating dinner before 5-7 PM avoids the futile effort of food stagnating in the chest and diaphragm at night." It is generally recommended that dinner should be about 4 hours before bedtime. For example, if you go to bed at 10 PM, dinner can be scheduled for 6 PM. A reasonable schedule for eating and sleeping avoids the worry of "unpeaceful sleep due to a disharmonious stomach."
By following the above advice to arrange dinner and bedtime, and by developing a regular healthy routine, one can greatly benefit from an improvement in sleep quality.