Today, many people are focusing on leading healthy lifestyles; they are watching their diets, weights, calorie intake and fitness levels. However, it is intriguing how they overlook the one aspect that could have the biggest impact on the quality of their lives. Sleep.
If you are not striving to optimize your sleep, then it’s a waste of time trying to fix other things in your life. And by this, we don’t imply that your patterns should be perfect because of course there will be some nights where you have to hang out with your friends or complete some tasks. But when these “exceptions” become a lifestyle, then you are sitting on a time bomb, because sooner, than later, you’ll be dealing with a range of health issues.
So much for the case of overlooking sleep; there are times when you practice a good sleep culture, but still find yourself turning and tossing the entire night, and end up feeling tired, and drowsy every morning. What are you to do?
In this article, we highlight five ways your lifestyle is ruining your sleep quality and also provide you with ways to help you deal with them.
You lack a regular bedtime
There are days when you stay up late, like up to 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM and you say to yourself, “Well I’m going to extend my sleep until 9:00 AM.” While this might seem like a good idea because you are still getting the same amount of sleep time, it always isn’t because it only messes with your circadian rhythm.
That’s bad enough; however, a recent study revealed that regular sleeping habits like weekday sleep changes might increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. So, it is a good idea to sleep within 30 minutes of your regular bedtime.
You have a bad mattress
The type of mattress you are sleeping on has a direct impact on the quality of sleep that you’ll have. If you don’t seem to be getting enough sleep at night, you might want to check your mattress, and if it’s the one causing sleepless nights, then you should try finding a quality one. Click here to learn more about mattresses.
You are glued to your screen
Your smartphone or computer screens could be the reason you are not getting sleep. These devices emit blue light which restricts the production of melatonin (an essential sleep hormone). Furthermore, a study showed that the use of smartphones for business reasons eat into sleep hours and also saps the energy of workers the next day at work.
You have wrong eating habits
It’s one thing to go to bed without food, and another to eat a wrong late night meal. Not eating will keep you awake; eating lots of proteins at night can make you more alert, so go for a meal that’s easy to break down, like some cereals, or tart cherries.
You are on medication
Some medicines tend to stimulate the nervous system, so if you are having troubles falling asleep, you might want to read the labels to be sure. If the medication is the culprit, a good idea would be to take them in the morning.