5 Habits To Stop If You’re Struggling To Get A Good Night Sleep

 

1). EATING 2 HOURS BEFORE GOING TO BED

It’s bad news for those partial to a midnight snack, as the expert advised you should wait at least two hours to sleep after a big meal. It takes 90 minutes for 50 per cent of your stomach to empty into the small intestines.

So the more full your stomach is, the higher chance of acid reflux, which can obviously damage your sleep. Ideally wait two to three hours after your large meal before you go to bed.

2). DRINKING WATER BEFORE YOU GO TO SLEEP

Drinking water before bed may be an obvious habit to kick, as it can increase the amount of time you need to urinate during the night. 

When you’re asleep your body increases the production of the hormone ADH, so it retains water and suppresses your need to pee.

If you drink lots of water before bed, it can suppress the production of ADH, so you pee more and you wake up more and it ruins your sleep. Instead of chugging water at night, a more beneficial way to rehydrate is to drink water in the morning.

3). SLEEPING IN A HOT ROOM

Attempting to get to sleep during summer can be an impossible task. While the long days are welcomed, the nights can be unbearable and sweaty. And the hot temperatures may actually throw off your sleep balance.

The peak body temperature is around 7pm. After this point the body temperature drops and we feel more sleepy and there’s an increased production of melatonin.

The body needs to become cooler to sleep faster. So, dark, quiet, cool and comfortable bedrooms are synonymous with a good night’s sleep.

 

4). HAVING A NIGHTCAP

Many people use alcohol as a sleep aid because it can be a potent somnogen (sleep-inducing agent), however alcohol is also known to disrupt sleep patterns. 

But the fact is that alcohol messes up your REM sleep pattern, the stages of sleep which each serve a specific function. Drinking alcohol before bed can increase the suppression of REM sleep during the first two cycles of sleep, since alcohol is a sedative and can induce deep sleep quickly.

 

As the night progresses, this can create an imbalance between slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, which can result in shorter sleep duration and more sleep disruptions.  

So, since alcohol can reduce REM sleep, people who drink frequently before bed often experience insomnia symptoms and feel excessively sleepy, it is claimed. To get a quality night’s sleep, stop consuming alcoholic drinks before bed.

5). CONSUMING CAFFEINE

Most people welcome the intake of caffeine as a useful stimulant to make you feel more awake. But, though it can kickstart your morning, an afternoon or evening coffee can disrupt your sleep balance. 

The maximum caffeine effect is experienced one hour after drinking it, at which point it peaks in our blood.

After this, depending on an individual’s metabolic rate, it can take up to eight hours to leave the body. For those who want to get their sleep back on track, avoid consuming caffeine in the afternoon.