5 bedtime habits that ruin sleep

If you can’t sleep at night, know that you’re not alone. According to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation, 65% of Americans face problems sleeping several nights every week.

Sleeping too little does a lot more damage than just leaving you tired, a lack of sleep has been linked to obesity, depression, high blood pressure, eating more carbs and snacks, and it increases your risk for diabetes.

Avoid distractions

While there are many reasons for not sleeping enough it could very well be that you have some bad bedtime habits that are making you miss out on shut-eye time. Bringing distractions to bed is a sure way to keep you up at night, books, computers, cell phones, television, and electronic gadgets can stop you from falling asleep.

The brightness of a computer screen or television stimulates the brain. What’s more, it’s easy to lose track of time when watching TV or browsing the web. Ideally, your bedroom should be about sleep and not entertainment. So avoid distractions by giving yourself some down time to wind down without distractions.

Avoid spicy food and alcohol

What you eat, how much you eat, and what you drink can all play a role in keeping you up at night. Spicy food raises your body temperature and this can hinder your sleep since the ideal sleeping condition for your body is a cool temperature.

Spicy food also has the added risk of giving you heartburn and keeping you up at night. Eating too much food, whether you binge at a meal or stuff yourself at a buffet, leaves you more restless as larger meals are more difficult to digest. It may seem counter intuitive that alcohol is a sleep inhibitor, but it’s true.

While alcohol is primarily a sedative, it disrupts your sleep as the initial effects wear off. Heavy drinkers will fare worse since their brains will develop a tolerance against the alcohol’s sedative qualities. In terms of lighting, the ideal place for sleeping is a darkened room.

Avoid bright lights

A bright alarm clock or a night light may seem functional, but they will only distract you from getting a full night’s rest. What’s the solution? See if your nightlight has a brightness setting and opt for your cell phone’s alarm.

Avoid staying in bed

It might seem best to stay lying in bed when you can’t fall asleep, but according to the National Sleep Foundation it’s best to do something boring if you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes. What counts as boring? Any activity that requires little to no brain power, counting sheep, or making up your shopping list for tomorrow!

Avoid workout

Many people falsely believe that working out a night will tire you out, but the truth is the exact opposite: working out invigorates your body and thus, exercising at night will raise your body temperature and boost your energy level. If you have any of these bad bedtime habits then consider replacing them with some good ones that will help you sleep better.

Some new bedtimes habits you can attempt to incorporate are: drink warm milk before going to bed, drink herbal tea (e.g. chamomile, lemon balm, hops and passionflower), and limit caffeine to morning hours only.

Aside from changing your bedtime habits, changing your dietary habits can also help you sleep better at night. Some foods that will enable you to get some shut-eye include: fish, jasmine rice, tart cherry juice, yogurt, whole grains, kale, bananas and chickpeas.