6 Nighttime Habits That Are Ruining Your Sleep
As a busy adult, it may seem as if sleep is unattainable. Whether you’re not getting any sleep or not enough, the hours of the day can appear to be moving faster than you can keep up. However, nighttime habits can contribute to the lack of sleep you desperately desire.
Her Agenda has gathered seven nighttime habits that could be the reason you aren’t able to rest as much as you could. By changing a few things in your daily routine, you should be able to see a difference in your sleep patterns and energy levels.
1. Irregular Sleep Schedule
Constantly changing your sleep schedule can confuse your body, making it difficult to fall asleep and allowing your nervous system to properly shut down and reset. Just as a computer has to be shut down or placed in sleep mode, so does your body; remember, your body is also a machine that needs time to recharge for the best results.
Irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder is also something to consider, which is the lack of a defined sleep-wake circadian rhythm. And according to the Sleep Foundation can include:
- Difficulty falling asleep at night
- Multiple nighttime wakings
- Non-rejuvenating sleep
- Excessive daytime sleepiness
- Taking multiple naps during the day
2. Electronics In Bed
Having phones, tablets, laptops, Kindles, and more in bed can make time fly and make sleep less likely to happen. When you’re doomscrolling, your intent may be to do so for a few minutes, but hours can pass by before you know it. Keeping your electronics in close proximity, but out of the bed, is a sure-fire way to catch some z’s.
3. Drinking Coffee Or Alcohol Before Bed
Caffeine is not your friend at night; neither is alcohol. Drinking either before bed will have you up all night or disrupt your sleep all night due to multiple restroom visits. Try not to drink anything an hour and a half to an hour before going to bed, to prepare your body for rest and shut down. The Sleep Foundation found that alcohol consumption may counteract the reduced sleep time usually caused by caffeine. And caffeine may help a person feel more awake after a night of reduced sleep quality caused by alcohol.
4. Long Naps During The Day
Naps can be great to get an extra push to get through the day; however, if your “power naps” exceed more than two hours, then you’re likely going to run the risk of staying up much later at night.
According to the Mayo Clinic, some research also links naps longer than an hour a day with higher risks of conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
5. Eating Heavy Meals
Men’s Health says eating before bed is linked to metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors including high blood pressure and belly fat, that increase your chances of developing heart disease or type 2 diabetes.
Additionally, it is recommended to make your last meal of the day a light mix of complex carbs and protein instead of heavy carbs, starches, and sweets that cause weight gain and other health problems.
6. Working In Bed
Working in bed may seem ideal, yet it can become a revolving door of opportunity to eat, drink, talk on the phone, as well as create bad posture and eyesight. Making an office space, even if it’s not in a separate room, can benefit your body, mind, and work.
Mattress Clarity suggests that if your bedroom is the only place that you can work, then use a room divider to separate your workspace from the sleeping and leisure space. You will also want to keep your workspace free from clutter, which can be distracting when you are trying to get things done.
