There are plenty of habits that can cause you to have poor sleep and if you are finding yourself constantly awake come bedtime, it may be time to check in on your habits, to see if you can change your ways to a better night’s sleep. Below are six common habits that can cause poor sleep.
Sleep Position
The way you sleep is a habit that has been ingrained into you from an early age and could be the reason for your poor sleep. Our sleeping position can affect our health in many ways and depending on your current health issues, there may be a better way to sleep. If you sleep on your stomach and don’t suffer with sleep apnea, now is the time to change your sleeping position. If you find it hard to sleep on your side or back, your mattress may be a cause. If you are in desperate need of a new mattress for a more comfortable night’s sleep, you can find one here. Side sleeping is best if you want to reduce snoring, so if you or your partner snores, try this sleeping position to give both of you a better sleep.
Eating Late
Whilst there may be times this can’t be helped, try avoiding eating immediately before bed as your body’s digestion system could prevent you from falling asleep. If you are prone to acid reflux or heartburn, lying down straight after eating will worsen your symptoms, making it much more difficult to fall asleep. Whilst it can prevent sleeping, eating before bed will not make you put on weight unless you are consuming more than your daily calorie intake.
Phone Usage
Using your phone (or any other technology) too close to bedtime isn’t good for getting a good night’s sleep and falling asleep quickly. The light on your phone, tablet or TV screen will prevent your brain from releasing melatonin, which is needed for a good night’s sleep. Your brain can easily get confused by the lights on your screen, leading you to not feel tired as your brain doesn’t understand it’s time for bed. Turn off your devices and don’t take them into the bedroom with you. If you use your phone as an alarm, turn it on airplane mode and don’t be tempted to reach for it if you are struggling to sleep, as this will make it worse.
Poor Routine
Not having a proper sleeping routine could be the reason you aren’t falling asleep at night or are waking up tired. If you have a Monday-Friday job, this provides a great routine that is often ruined when you decide to sleep late on Saturday morning. This completely messes with your natural routine and if you find it hard to get to sleep on Sunday night, this is why. As you develop a sleep routine, your brain will begin to understand when bedtime is close, and you will feel ready for bed. You may even start waking before your alarm, which is much better for you.
Working in Bed
If you work from home or check your emails before bed, this could be causing poor sleep, as your brain will start to relate your bed to working, rather than sleeping. Your bed should be for sleeping only; keep work away from here. If you don’t have anywhere else to work, consider investing in a desk. Avoid working too close to bedtime either, as this will stimulate your brain and keep the thoughts going around as you hit the pillow, making it much harder to relax and fall asleep.
Sleeping Late
Even just one late night is enough to knock your sleeping pattern totally off. Whilst we all enjoy a late night with our friends once in a while, if you are finding it hard to get back into a natural sleeping pattern afterward, this is a habit that needs to be knocked on the head. Waking at the same time will lead to a day full of grogginess, which is not ideal if you are working. Napping could then make it harder to sleep at night.
According to experts from CleanFlash, manufacturer of top-quality CPAP machine cleaners, having not enough sleep doesn’t only affect your mood and your focus. Poor sleep patterns are also linked to respiratory problems and may adversely affect your heart and blood vessel functions.
Find a good routine, a great sleeping position for you and any health needs, and stay away from your phone or work too close to bedtime. Breaking these habits could lead you to have the best sleep of your life.