Enjoying a good night’s sleep is necessary for everyone. Otherwise, you’ll end up feeling lethargic, which has a significant impact on your productivity. While you might think you can resolve this by changing your sleep schedule, this doesn’t always prove to be effective because other things may be hindering you from getting enough rest once the day comes to a close. And due to this lack, you’ll end up experiencing symptoms such as chronic fatigue, judgment impairment, memory loss, and other issues.
Factors Disrupting Your Rest
But what exactly are the things that keep you tossing and turning during the night, which affect the quality of your sleep? If you’re asking yourself this question, look no further as here’s an overview of the annoying things that might be ruining your sleep:
1. Temperature
While getting warm and cozy in your bed might sound like the perfect way to quickly fall asleep, it usually has a counterproductive effect. This happens because the warm temperature generally stimulates your senses, making you awake all the more. Therefore, you need to set your thermostat at temperatures around 18°C as this is the ideal temperature when sleeping during the night.
Besides the room temperature, you also need to consider your body’s temperature when going to bed. You must do this as the body typically functions in a process referred to as thermoregulation on the 24-hour circadian cycle, enabling the adjustment of your core temperatures. With a lower body temperature, you’ll not only fall asleep faster but also remain dozed off for a prolonged duration.
A great way of reducing your sleep temperature while in bed is by using a hemp pillow as it doesn’t absorb a lot of heat compared with the standard pillows and having blankets.
2. Need To Go To The Bathroom
Needing to take trips to the bathroom can be very frustrating, more so if you have difficulty falling asleep again because this can affect your sleep cycle. If you’re experiencing this, one of the main reasons is because you’re drinking too much before going to bed.
To prevent this from happening, you should cut down on how much fluids you’re taking before bedtime or not drinking anything altogether two hours before it’s time to hit the sack. You should especially stay away from caffeine and alcohol as these are diuretics that increase how fast your body loses water.
The increased trips to the bathroom can also be caused by severe underlying health complications such as diabetes or urinary tract infection (UTI). It can also be caused by using diuretic medications such as the ones used to treat blood pressure. Therefore, you need to visit the doctor and get yourself checked if this persists even after cutting down on fluids you’re taking.
3. Noise In The Background
Your brain notices background noises even when you’re asleep, which negatively affects your sleep quality even though you might not wake up during the night. As a result, you’ll start experiencing unhealthy symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue, and amplified heartbeats throughout the day.
Here’s an overview of how the different levels of background noise can affect the quality of your sleep:
- 30 decibels: This doesn’t affect your sleep; examples include clock ticking and whispers.
- 35 to 40 decibels: An example of this is a regular conversation, and it affects the quality of your sleep which might result in a headache.
- 45 to 50 decibels: It can lead to nervous disorder; examples of this level of sound are snoring, vibrant conversations, and laughter.
- Over 50 decibels: This increases the chances of suffering from a stroke.
Therefore, if there are noises around your bedroom at night due to construction nearby or the highway and railroad, consider investing in earplugs and ensure the windows are always shut during the night.
4. Untidy Bedroom
Society today is very frantic and hectic, and it seems there’s never enough time to complete all your duties, be it studying or working on time. And to ensure you always have as much time on your hands as possible, you often end up ignoring to tidy up your bedroom. After all, you’re the only one sleeping there, unless there’s a guest, so there’s no need to pressure yourself in ensuring it’s clean at all times.
However, your bedroom being a mess does have an impact on your quality of sleep. This happens because the brain usually remembers everything that’s surrounding you while going to bed. And when things are left haphazardly, your subconscious mind remembers and consequently leads to your sleep being chaotic.
Therefore, you need to do your best to ensure your bedroom is always clean by constantly tidying it up and making sure it’s dust-free. Also, make sure the pillow you’re using is hypoallergenic as this will make it a lot easier for you to breathe and improve the quality of your sleep. Looking at the video below and other resources can help you choose the suitable one for you.
5. Anxiety And Depression
Life nowadays is quickly becoming overwhelming and frustrating as it involves juggling school, work, family, and other relationships. All the stress from the day’s events can make it hard for you to remain asleep during the night because of the constant worries in your head.
This lack of enough sleep leads to sleep deprivation, resulting in more damage to your mental health. When suffering from anxiety or depression, it’s hard to fall asleep as your mind is constantly racing with thoughts that make it hard for you to sleep. In addition, you wake up before you’re fully rested and can’t go back to sleep.
When experiencing depression or anxiety, you should incorporate stress-relieving methods into your daily routine. This includes exercising, doing productive hobbies, and meditation. You can also use herbal and nutritional supplements that are proven to be effective in treating anxiety problems.
6. Getting Bedtime Munchies
While eating a light meal before bed is acceptable, you shouldn’t overdo it; instead, eat a considerable amount of food only. Otherwise, you’ll end up having a hard time resting since your body is digesting the food. You’ll be left twisting and turning in bed, trying to find sleep but to no avail. In addition, you’ll start to experience heartburn or indigestion, which causes you great discomfort that makes it harder to fall asleep.
All these issues happen because your body’s metabolism slows down as you draw close to slumber, making you more likely to suffer from digestive issues. But now that you know this, it’s best to avoid late-night snacking; and instead, eat your dinner at least two or three hours before heading to bed. Doing this gives your body enough time to process the food.
But if you have to eat something before bedtime, go for sleep-promoting foods such as chamomile tea, bananas, cherries, and almonds.
7. Use Of Technology In The Bedroom
It’s easy to get carried away with gadgets such as gaming systems, smartphones, computers, televisions, and other devices, especially in your bed where it’s comfortable. As a result, you might end up filling your bedroom with such in the hope of enjoying them before it’s time to rest.
However, using devices when it’s late already adversely affects your sleep quality because they emit light that affects the hormone known as melatonin, making it harder for you to sleep. This happens because your brain becomes active and it becomes almost impossible to rest.
You’ll need to break this habit to avoid the blue light that’s preventing you from enjoying quality sleep during the night. Ideally, you should altogether avoid screen time watching the television or using your smartphone two or three hours before bedtime.
In place of this, try to read a book or write down something in your journal. See to it that your eyes get accustomed to seeing other things besides your gadgets.
8. Sleeping With Your Beloved Pet
Many people love pets because of their company, especially if you live alone. But pets rarely sleep throughout the night and might start bothering you while dozing off, especially the case with cats as they aren’t that considerate. And if you sleep with your pet, you might occasionally find yourself at the edge of your bed or with the pet over your head. This affects the quality of your rest as it becomes harder for you to sleep the entire night.
9. Drinking Too Much Alcohol
It’s no doubt that enjoying a couple of beers or a glass of wine is a nice way to relax at the end of the day. In fact, drinking these will help you fall asleep faster, thanks to the brain chemical known as adenosine. However, in the long run, it’ll negatively affect the quality of your sleep. This happens because adenosine quickly wears off, and this causes you to be alert even before you’re fully rested.
Drinking alcohol late into the night also hinders rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is considered the most restorative kind of sleep. Because of this, you end up feeling tired the next day. If you suffer from sleep apnea, drinking alcohol worsens the condition because you’ll find yourself experiencing symptoms such as suddenly waking up gasping for air, which prevents you from feeling rested. In addition, you’ll take more trips to the bathroom during the night, which prevents you from enjoying a continuous sleep the whole night.
With this in mind, you shouldn’t drink too close to bedtime, ideally two hours before heading to bed. This gives your body enough time to absorb alcohol, so it won’t affect the quality of your sleep. Also, see to it that you urinate before you sleep.
10. Inconsistent Sleep Schedule
Humans are creatures of habit, and this applies to all aspects, including sleep. But by not having a specific time of day when you go to bed, your body ends up not knowing the time it needs to start feeling exhausted and sleepy. This biological clock your body follows is referred to as the circadian rhythm, and it’s regulated by various things, including body temperature, night or day, light, and melatonin, among others. By not sticking to the same sleep schedule, you disrupt your body’s biological clock, which causes you to have a harder time falling asleep.
Therefore, you need to have a fixed sleep schedule. Although this will be difficult to start, you should do your best to incorporate it into your daily habit by dozing off when you’re sleepy and setting the alarm to wake you up. Doing this will also mean you consistently enjoy enough sleep.
11. Sleep Apnea
One of the main reasons why people across the globe are having difficulty falling and staying asleep is due to sleep apnea. Due to this medical condition, your breathing repeatedly starts and stops, making your whole night interrupted.
While most persons suffering from this condition remain undiagnosed, here are some symptoms that can help you point it out:
- Memory problems;
- Difficulty concentrating;
- Snoring while asleep;
- Headaches;
- Mood swings;
- Too much daytime fatigue.
If you experience any of these symptoms, then get yourself tested as this might be a sign of sleep apnea. Because you’ll be snoring loudly when you sleep, this condition can also impact your housemates from resting during the night. They might end up suffering from possible health issues as well due to the lack of quality sleep.
It’s essential to get yourself checked should you exhibit any sleep apnea symptoms. The recommended treatment will either be implementing lifestyle changes such as surgery or losing weight as well as using a breathing machine.
Takeaway
Constantly struggling to fall or stay asleep is a real issue that can cause you many frustrations. When this happens, it’s usually because of something you do before going to bed. As a result, you end up being awake all night, which itself is a nightmare that leads to sleep deprivation.
If you’re having a hard time being asleep, this guide has highlighted the things you need to know about that might be affecting you. Consider the ideas mentioned here as you make adjustments in your lifestyle.
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