Another sleepless night? 6 things that you need to STOP doing for a good night’s sleep.
Beat sleeplessness with these 6 tried and tested tips!
Experienced yet another sleepless night? Sleeplessness is more common in people than you think. Unfortunately, most dismiss signs of Insomnia when they watch another episode of their favourite T.V. show or scroll for another hour on social media.
When you cannot sleep, it is a clear sign of an unhealthy lifestyle that needs to GO! “I don’t do anything that can lead to sleeplessness”, you might say. But, little things that we subconsciously do in our everyday life lead to a night long tossing and turning to fall asleep.
Wondering what they are?
Here are six bad habits that you need to quit today for a good night’s sleep-
- Caffeine post 3 PM-
A study conducted with caffeine and how it affects your sleep says that- Study subjects who consumed caffeine 0-3 hours before sleeping, consistently failed to fall asleep. On the other hand, those who consumed caffeine 6 hours before sleeping saw a decrease in total sleep time by 41 minutes; they also took double the time to fall asleep than they usually would.
This indicates that caffeine not only shortens your sleep cycle but also causes delays in inducing sleep. It is safe to say that caffeine after 3 PM is a bad idea. If you love your coffee, you will have to make some changes to your coffee consumption for a better night’s sleep.
- Midnight snacking-
Midnight snacking is never healthy. It aids in obesity, causes irregularities in blood sugar in your body, and hampers your sleeping schedules. Studies show that you need to get your dinner at least 3 hours before you fall asleep. This allows your stomach the much necessary time to digest your dinner and help you fall asleep.
Now, when you snack in the middle of the night, your body is focused on digesting what you just ate (which is usually junk food). As a result, midnight snacking disrupts your brain’s ability to fall asleep and affects the quality of deep sleep you get.
- Irregular sleeping patterns-
Do you have a fixed sleeping schedule? If no, then develop one. Falling asleep every day at different odd times is never good for your sleep and your health. It affects your metabolism and can cause chronic illnesses like diabetes. It also affects the quality and quantity of sleep.
Routine helps maintain your body’s internal clock, which means your body will automatically crave sleep when it’s bedtime and wake up when you are well-rested and ready to seize the day.
- Long afternoon naps-
However sweet you might find afternoon naps, it is terrible to sleep long hours in the afternoon. Firstly, it is advised to take a nap in the afternoon only if you experience fatigue or suddenly feeling sleepy. You should never nap in the afternoon just because you have nothing better to do!
Long afternoon naps hamper your internal clock. Ideally, naps should last between 20-40 minutes. After that, the more you sleep, the more lazy, annoyed, and tired you will feel. Try alternatives to naps, try simple meditation and relaxation activities that can help you regain energy for the remainder of your day.
- Are you a couch potato?
You seriously cannot expect your body and brain to get tired by sitting on your couch all day watching T.V. or scrolling on social media. How sleep works is, you do various activities during the day that consume your energy, which leads to a good night’s sleep.
No physical activities during the day lead to a sleepless night. Moreover, it also leads to various health issues like obesity. Therefore, you should engage in physical activities which tire you for a resulting good night’s rest.
- Taking stress to bed-
Remember the last time you got into bed worried about your presentation the next day or about an important exam the next day? Did you wake up feeling refreshed the next day? Probably not.
Your brain needs to calm down, stop running with thoughts, and relax for the sleep ahead of you. When you stress before sleeping, it restricts your brain from falling asleep, despite how tired you are.
Now, imagine what your day would look like if you were stressed right before bed every night! Leave stress on your nightstand and deal with it with a refreshed brain and body.
Four easy tips for better sleep- tried and tested lifestyle changes that can help you.
- Watch your mouth-
No, we don’t mean when you talk! Watch what you eat as it affects your bodily functions. Eating healthy, nutritious food will lead to a good day and night sleep. Consume fruits, leafy vegetables, foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and necessary nutrients.
- Meditation is underrated-
Have you ever managed to meditate every day for a few months without missing any single day? Everyone knows the benefits of meditating, understands its importance, but not everyone has the patience to practice meditation.
Trust us; if you can take 10 minutes out of your busy day and perform simple meditation exercises, you will experience a significant change in your lifestyle.
- Leave your screens on your nightstand.
No matter how many times you decided to swear off the screens before bedtime, you always end up staring at them in the dark. Research shows that blue lights emitted from screens can harm your eyes and also hamper your sleep cycle.
- Supplements can help!
Supplements can help you get that additional boost you need with lifestyle changes to better your sleep cycle. Now, sleep supplements do not mean sleeping pills! Instead, look for natural supplements rich in ayurvedic ingredients.
E.g., Ashwagandha, Jatamasi, and Tagar (Indian Valerian Root) are known to help calm your mind, promote sleep induction, and improve the quality and quantity of sleep.
Read more about how sleep supplements can help with Insomnia and sleeping disorder.
Bottom Line
Sleep is the key to a healthy body and a sound mind. Getting rid of a few bad habits and replacing them with good ones can help you sleep better. First, identify if you are experiencing a few sleepless nights or are suffering from serious issues such as Insomnia. In the case of the latter, consult a doctor to get the required insomnia treatment.
Have questions about how you can get better sleep? Drop them below; we will fetch you the answers!
We are an independent blogger and admin of DeepAdvices who is exploring the beauty of the blog writing from a variety of subjects and books to health, science and others. She believes the blog would be helpful to the reader in the context of knowledge.
