How did you feel when you woke up this morning? If you answer anything else than refreshed, you should take a closer look at your sleep quality. If you wake up every morning tired and exhausted, that is a sign that something is happening during sleep that you are not aware of.
So what are those everyday things that are keeping you away from quality snoozing? You have definitely heard it all before: You shouldn’t watch television or use your phone and computer in bed. You should have your last cup of coffee at noon. You mustn’t work out in the evening and so on. But you stick to everything we mentioned, and you still don’t get enough shuteye. If you are struggling to fall asleep at night or have troubles with frequent waking up, check out this list of unexpected sleep snatchers. Sometimes, some habits that seem healthy may be actually keeping you away from meeting the sandman.
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You Have Inconsistent Eating Habits
You do your best to eat a balanced diet. However, you also spend multiple nights a week indulging in happy hour and late night hamburgers and burritos. Doing this more than once a week may be damaging to much more than only your diet. Studies have shown that inconsistent eating habits can negatively affect sleep. It is okay to have a dinner later in the evening, but it is important to stick with it every day.
However, keep your evening meals light. Heavy meals before bed are not recommended because the process of digestion is one of the most demanding and energy consuming processes that occur in the body. During sleep, your body should be focused on restoring your energy and preparing you for the day ahead. If you have a heavy meal before bedtime, not only you may have troubles falling asleep, but your body won’t be able to focus your blood flow to the cells, tissues and muscles that need to be replenished and restored.
You Love Reading a Good Book
You have probably heard that late-night TV or nighttime browsing through social media should be traded for a little reading. While it’s true that a relaxing book may help you fall asleep, an exciting, emotional and intellectually demanding one may do the opposite. To make sure the book you are reading isn’t disturbing your snoozing, avoid tearjerkers and demanding history tomes. For light and relaxed reading, try an entertainment or sports magazine.
You Smoke before Bed
Many people believe that an evening cigarette is just what they need to unwind before bed. However, nicotine acts as a stimulant, and will only make it harder for you to fall asleep. If you can’t quit, at least say no to pre-bed smoking.
You Charge Your Phone at Night
Many people charge their electronic at night. In most cases, that doesn’t affect their sleep. However, if you are light sleeper and have troubles meeting the sandman, even the smallest light emitted by electronic devices can disturb your sleep. Blue light emitted by TV’s, phones and computers is very strong and may affect our circadian rhythms. If you think your phone may be disrupting your sleep, we recommend keeping it away from your bedroom. Also, make sure your charging station is set in somewhere else, such as your living room or home office.
Sleeping in an Old Bed
Sleeping on a mattress that is more than eight years old can severely disrupt your sleep. Old mattresses lose their firmness and are not able to provide you support any more. No matter whether you cleaned them or not, if you haven’t used a mattress protector or an encasement, they are also full with dust mites, dead skin cells and body oil.
As a mattress ages and begins to wear out, it starts to sag in the middle. Chiropractors had worn us that sleeping on a mattress that is awkwardly curved in the middle is like sleeping in a hole. They also say that snoozing on a sagging bed is an old recipe for chronic back pain.
The only way toget rid of the problems caused by a worn out mattress is very simple – replace it with a new one. To alleviate the process of selecting a new mattress, make sure you visit Ross & Kayla’s Unbiased Review site.
You Love Sleeping Warm and Cozy
Cuddling up in a warm and cozy bed seems like everything you need to slip into blissful slumber. However, an increase in body temperature can significantly disrupt your sleep. We sleep best in rooms that are reasonably cool. If you sleep with a partner or a pet, make sure you always open the windows at least two hours before bedtime and let some cool fresh air in.
If you spend the night tossing and turning due to an unexplainable feeling of discomfort, try to lower your sleep temperature. Make sure you don’t go too low because being uncomfortably cold is another way to stay awake the entire night.
You are Feeling Lonely
Researchers have found out that loneliness isn’t only an issue of the heart and mind. It can also cause fragmented sleep. Sleep researcher, LianneKurina, Ph.D., said that humans are social beings and that no matter how young or old we may be, we need to feel secure and accepted in our social environment in order to snooze soundly.
You Sleep with Your Pet
Veterinarians have advised us to avoid sleeping with pets due to the risks of contracting allergies and diseases. However, some studies show that sleeping with pets can also affect our sleep quality. A 2002 study conducted by researchers from the Mayo Clinic shows that 55% percent of pet owners reported their sleep is disrupted every single night. Only 1% of the pet owners said that their snoozing was interrupted because of their pet for more than 20 minutes a night. An interesting fact is that 21% of dog owners say their dogs snore at night, while 7% of cat owners claim their cats snore. Since pets can severely disrupt sleep, it is best to keep them out of the bedroom, or at least out of bed.
