Few people are willing to admit it but most of the sleep problems that you have come from severe sleep-related behaviors and habits. Unless you identify them and find ways to solve them, the sleep problems will not just go away. Everything from what you eat or drink to what you do during the day will have an impact on your ability to get sleep and have enough of it.
Sleep is vital not only for your health but also if you want to be productive at work and so it is important to identify some of these mistakes that might be keeping you awake and solve them. In most cases, they are minor issues that you can rectify without breaking a sweat, but you also have to be dedicated and willing to drop some habits.
Here are some of these common sleeping mistakes that you should avoid.
#1 Failing to have a schedule
The body has an internal clock or mechanism that it relies on when it comes to sleep. This system is what tells the body when to sleep and also when to wake up to ensure that it gets maximum rest.
In most instances, people think that if you go to bed extra early, you can compensate for any sleep lost or recover the sleep hours you miss during the week by spending the weekend in bed.
However, this could not be further from the truth because once you interfere with the rhythm you will end up with insomnia and you will not be able to sleep well. And so it is vital to develop and adhere to a consistent sleep schedule.
#2 Drinking caffeine and alcohol before bed
It is a usual habit for many people to take a cup of coffee before bed because they find it refreshing. However, if you also have the same habit, this might be the primary cause of any sleeping problems that you have. You should not only avoid taking coffee or any other drink with caffeine at night but also after midday. Caffeine will stimulate your body for up to 12 hours and so drinking anything with it will keep you awake at night.
Alcohol also has same effects and so that glass of red wine that you like taking before bed is not good for sleep. It is a fact that alcohol has a sedative effect but what you might not know is that it also interferes with your sleep pattern and you will not fall into a deep sleep or even sleep for long.
#3 Having a TV in the bedroom
Having a TV in the bedroom seems like a good idea because you can watch a late night movie or even watch something that will make you sleep fast. However, it will do the exact opposite, and so this is another big sleeping mistake that most people make.
If you get used to having the TV as your mental sleep simulation, it will interfere with your sleep pattern, and this leads to other problems such as insomnia.
#4 Taking long naps during the day
If you are not getting enough sleep at night, you are likely to want to take naps during the day to try and compensate for the lost sleep. It might look like an excellent idea, but the fact is that it only makes things worse.
Naps are good and healthy as they make you feel energized but this is only true if you keep them short and that is less than 30 minutes. Anything longer than this will only interfere with your sleep pattern, and you will not sleep enough at night which is the time your body needs the rest.
#5 Sleeping with the lights
Your body relies on “sleep signals” to know when to fall asleep or wake up, and one of the main ones is light. Darkness or the absence of light is a signal that tells the body it is time to sleep and so if you keep the lights on the body will not know that it is time to sleep and so you are more likely to remain awake.
It is important to ensure that the bedroom is as dark as possible because even a stream of light no matter how thin it is coming in through your window or from a phone can disrupt your sleep.
#6 Worrying about sleep
If you have been turning and tossing in bed for the last couple of nights without being able to sleep the worst mistake you can make is to worry about it. If you worry yourself too much about the fact that you are not sleeping enough, this will lead to stress and anxiety and hence make the situation worse for you. Instead of worrying about your inability to sleep you should focus your energy on finding solutions to the problem.
#7 Abusing sleep pills
Over-the-counter pills may be able to make you sleep but they will only mask the problem and will not in any way help you deal with your sleeping problems. In fact, most studies conclude that these pills will do more harm than good over the long term. And so relying on them to help you sleep is a big mistake.
The chances are that you will end up getting addicted and hence making your insomnia worse. Unless a doctor advises you to use the sleeping pills because of other medical conditions you should avoid them at all cost and instead try other natural sleep aids.
#8 Sleeping in a noisy room
If your bedroom or sleeping environment is noisy, you will have a very hard time falling asleep. Although this might look obvious, most people tend to assume it and will want to leave some music on thinking that it will help them sleep better and faster. Even if you cannot control the noise emanating from the outside environment, you can use earplugs and other similar devices to reduce or eliminate it.
A stressful morning or waking up feeling tired are just some of the results of not sleeping well, but there are many other severe consequences. Avoiding these eight common mistakes will help ensure that you get a restful and restorative sleep each night.
- Sources
- Disclaimer
Article by Jane Collins
Sources for this article include:
- https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/how-to-sleep-better.htm
- https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/understanding-the-side-effects-of-sleeping-pills#1
- https://www.becomingminimalist.com/18-darn-good-reasons-to-get-the-tv-out-of-the-bedroom/
- https://www.nestmaven.com/sleep/how-to-sleep-better/
DISCLAIMER
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