5 Habits That Sabotage Your Sleep

Not getting enough sleep? Maybe one of these 5 habits that sabotage your sleep is to blame.

Do you suffer from a lack of sleep? Seems like no one is well rested these days. Other than being overworked and lacking in time, you may be not getting enough sleep because of some daytime habits you have. You may even think you are getting enough sleep but are not getting restful sleep. No matter what the reason for your lack of Zzzs, here are 5 habits that sabotage your sleep and how to fix them.

5 Habits That Sabotage Your Sleep

You exercise too late in the day – You may think working out right before bed will help you tire out so you can get a better night’s sleep but there are several things wrong with this popular idea. First, when we exercise, our body actually gets energized from it and releases hormones that make up more awake. Think of this as your body’s own natural caffeine. Plus, achy muscles don’t lead to a good night’s sleep. Additionally, many pre-workout drinks and powders contain larger amounts of caffeine and this will leave you wide eyed awake for hours.

You are drinking caffeine or eating big meals too late in the day– Speaking of caffeine, you may be drinking soda, tea, or coffee too late in the day and the effects of caffeine you drank that afternoon are still there when you try to get some sleep. Caffeine lasts an average of 4-6 hours after it’s absorbed. This means if you have a soda with dinner, you are likely still dealing with the effects of it when you try to catch some shut-eye. If you are having trouble sleeping, try cutting out evening caffeine and see if it helps. As far as large meals go, these can lead to heartburn and indigestion which can cause issues with sleep. Try to eat lighter dinners and give yourself plenty of time to digest before laying down.

You sleep in at all– Our bodies work best when on a schedule. This way our internal clock doesn’t have much variance and we can train it to expect sleep at a certain time. So as tempting as it may seem to sleep in for hours after your normal workday wake-up time, try to get up at the same time as you do the rest of the week on your days off to keep your schedule the same.

You play with electronics as you wind down in bed– Electronics seem like a mellow thing to so while laying in bed winding down. However, it has been shown that the brightness of the screens, especially in the dark, tricks your brain into thinking it’s not bedtime yet and could leave you tossing and turning for a period of time after you shut them off. Instead of using electronics to relax before bed, try something like reading a book or magazine instead.

Your bedroom is too hot or too cold – Most of us know that trying to sleep in a room that is extremely hot or very cool makes it hard to get to sleep and stay asleep, but the truth is heat really is a culprit in keeping us from restful sleep. Even just being too bundled up in blankets and cozy PJs and having company in bed can keep us from sleeping well. To combat this, try sleeping with a fan on even in the winter, or sleep under lighter blankets. You may also consider kicking the dog off the bed if it becomes a real issue for you as hard as that may be.