What Could Be Hurting Your Sleep?
Not sleeping enough can be very frustrating, but more frustrating than that is finding out why you’re not sleeping enough. There are so many things that could be hurting your sleep, from daily habits to lifestyle choices, to medications and medical conditions. Here are some of the things that could be hurting your sleep.
Stress
First up is stress. Unfortunately, stress is the #1 cause of most disorders and diseases in the world. Stress doesn’t just affect your mental and emotional health, it affects EVERYTHING!! This includes your physical health as well as your sleep. It is vital that you learn ways to handle your stress levels, otherwise every single area of your life will suffer, including your sleep.
If you’ve been struggling with sleep deprivation, try to find ways to relieve your stress. This might mean exercising more (or less, sometimes exercising too much can also increase stress levels), reducing working hours or changing the nature of your work, getting rid of toxic people in your life or at least reducing the amount of time you spend with them, practicing more self-care and taking more time off for yourself.
Your Sleeping Environment
People are now getting more aware of the importance of sleep quality and sleep hygiene, which includes where you sleep and your bedroom environment. If your bedroom is not set up right; by being too cold or too hot, too bright, or full of distractions, there’s a chance you won’t get good sleep. Take some time to make your bedroom your sleep sanctuary by making it very calming and peaceful.
Lack of Bedtime Routine
You might not have good sleep habits and a bedtime routine. The way you get ready to sleep at night is just as important as having a relaxed sleep environment and having a good and adequate mattress and pillows. It is usually harder to have a good night’s sleep if every night you fall asleep watching TV on your couch. Not only you will have a sore neck and back, but you could also have trouble falling back asleep once you reach your bed.
Start preparing for bed 1hr or so before your bedtime by winding down, doing things that makes you relaxed and that will train your brain into knowing it is bedtime. You could start by switching off all electronics and reading and journaling instead, having a hot bath or a foot bath and drinking a nice calming tea, stretching your body. You should aim to do this consistently every night to get your body and mind ready to sleep.
Distractions and Electronics
Do you use your phone or computer until you fall asleep or keep the TV on at night? If so, this could be causing you to suffer from sleep deprivation. Some people are ok with falling asleep with the TV on, but for most people this is a distraction that are keeping them from sleeping well. The problem is not only that it distracts you from sleeping well but also, the blue lights these devices emit. This blue light, hits the melanopsin cells in our eyes, giving the brain a signal to stop producing melatonin, which is the sleeping hormone.
If you are checking your phone every time you roll over to the other side or get up to use the toilet, your brain is becoming more alert. This is really screwing up your sleep. Keep the phone away from the bed where you can’t reach it, turn the light off, and turn off your television and laptop.
Medical Conditions and Medications.
Certain medical conditions might also be contributing to your lack of sleep, like Parkinson’s, diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and heart disease. If you suffer from any medical conditions that cause discomfort or stress at night, talk to your doctor about treating them. Some medication can also impact your sleep. Check with your doctor if you think this is the case.
Your Diet and Daily Activities
Finally, your diet and daily activities should also be considered. There are some foods that can actually help to encourage sleep, such as turkey and healthy carbs, while a diet of sugar, caffeine, and alcohol before bed is going to inhibit your sleep. You will have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, which could keep you from ever reaching that deep, REM sleep everyone needs each night.
What we do during the day can also impact our sleep quality. Getting enough sun or daylight exposure, exercising and limiting caffeine intake are some other factors that can improve your sleep quality.
Try to work on improving your sleep habits, set your room up to be prepared for bed, and stop checking your phone at night. These are all severely hurting your quality of sleep.
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