Nighttime Habits That Can Affect Your Getting A Sound Sleep.

Do you wake up tired in the morning and you are not quite sure why?

Below are a few habits that can affect your sleep time.

1. Drinking Alcohol Before Bed

We know reaching for your favorite boozy beverage might sound like the perfect way to unwind from a long day, but it might also be the reason you are not getting a sound sleep.

Alcohol when broken down, can affects the sleep centers of the brain and prevents deep sleep. Resulting in the second half of your night being more restless and inducing frequent awakenings.

Further, an intake of alcohol before you proceed to sleep can cause increased urination, so you may frequently need to get up to use the bathroom.  

2. Technology-Making Use Of Our Mobile/Electronic Devices.

Despite knowing we should not it is just so hard to resist reaching for a phone, iPad or laptop while in bed. 

The screens are both bright with blue light and interactive, which is wake-promoting.

Ideally there should be no screens one to two hours before bedtime." “Reading is so much more conducive to good sleep than interacting with a smartphone until the last waking moment. Besides helping you get to sleep earlier, avoiding interactive or exciting stimuli before bed also works to deepen sleep throughout the night, as your brain starts to slow down before sleep.”

Watching Television in bed is also inclusive. When we watch TV in bed, it can result in delaying bedtime and leading to less time for sleep. Our bed is a place reserved exclusively for sleep, rather than a place for watching Television.

If you must indulge or cannot avoid screens completely, you can consider the idea of investing in a good pair of blue light glasses.

In addition phones do come with lots  of screen protectors or phone applications that block blue light. Therefore, you can enjoy your favorite wind-down show and avoid any negative influences on your sleep.

However, it is best to ditch your nighttime phone habit for a good night sleep..

3. Negative Media Reports, Doomwatching And Doomscrolling

The World media has a lot of negative news to convey, if you care to listen. 

The act of doomscrolling refers to constantly scrolling through bad news on social media. But before doomscrolling, people were watching hours and hours of TV news. Negativity, doomscrolling and “doomwatching” are harmful to your mental health, but they can also affect your sleep.

Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright, sleep experts and authors of “Generation Sleepless,” both said watching news updates two hours before bedtime is a big sleep stealer.

“Today’s terrifying news cycle is a good example of a habit that can make falling asleep a lot harder,” they both said in an email. 

“If we go directly from the intense emotional stimulation of a breaking news story and all the worries it triggers in our already overactive minds, to lying down in bed and trying to sleep, we are likely to lie awake instead.”

4. Evening Workouts

Some people opt for a late night workout routine as a way to “tire themselves out." Please avoid vigorous exercise, workouts that make you break a sweat an hour before bedtime.

Work out should be at least 90 minutes before bedtime. 

Engaging in cardio or high-intensity interval training or lifting of heavy weights is a no no. Such workouts can make for a night of restless sleep.

If you must exercise for the night, make sure to do it 90 minutes before bedtime. Go for an evening walk, yoga or pilates. if you feel the need to expend some extra energy. 

Also focus on easing muscle tension, as it can help you avoid aches and pains that may keep you awake in discomfort.”

5. A Wind-Down Routine For An Effective Sleep

Getting good sleep requires a prelude, which means you need to create a wind-down or a relaxing routine/ bedtime routine.  

Wind-down routines are important in the process of preparing the mind and body for relaxation and optimal sleep.

Finding a relaxing routine will help the brain produce melatonin, eventually resulting in sleep.

This could be;

A. Going to bed around the same time every night. This can help establish the circadian rhythm ― the body’s sleep-wake cycle. 

B. Taking a warm bath and skin care are soothing activities could impact sleep positively.

C. Reading before bed is a great wind-down routine.

6. Eating High-Sugar Foods

It is best to avoid foods that quickly spike your blood sugar levels before bed.

When your blood sugar is rapidly increased, it causes a blood sugar crash. A blood sugar crash often leads to hypoglycemia and this can wake you up in the middle of the night. If you need a snack before bed, reach for foods with a low glycemic index, like oats, which will keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night. However, when in doubt always consult your physician on what to do as we all have different body types and react to situations differently.

7. Maintaining The Right Room Temperature For Sleep

When temperature is high, our bodies have to work harder to cool us down. Your bedroom temperature should be maintained between 66 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In summer the use of cooling technologies like a cooling pad, fans, air conditioning units can be utilized to reduce the chance of overheating. In winter the right body and room temperature is necessary for a sound sleep pattern.

8. Spending Too Much Time In Bed

Spending more time in bed if you are already struggling to sleep can be counterproductive.

If you are already battling with sleep, then spending more time in bed will simply lead to more time awake in bed rather than more time asleep. 

This leads to more tossing and turning during the night, and more worry, stress and anxiety related to being awake in bed. Over time, this creates an association between the bed, worry, and wakefulness — rather than sleep and relaxation. This makes sleep more difficult.

But spending more time in bed if you’re already struggling to sleep can be counterproductive.

If you are already struggling with sleep, then spending more time in bed will simply lead to more time awake in bed rather than more time asleep. 

This leads to more tossing and turning during the night, and more worry, stress and anxiety related to being awake in bed. Over time, this creates an association between the bed, worry, and wakefulness — rather than sleep and relaxation. This makes sleep more difficult.”

10. Using Your Bedroom As An Office

Finally, doubling your bedroom as an office space could be contributing to your sleepless nights.

When we use our bedroom as an office, we are creating an association with wakefulness, 

Our beds should be a cue for sleep so working in our beds weakens this association. If you have been working from your bed all day it could be harder for you to fall asleep since you might have trouble turning off your ‘working brain.’”