Being a bit groggily in the morning isn’t uncommon for most but experiencing excessive sleepiness could be a result of poor sleeping habits that are causing you to lose those precious z’s. If you think you’re having issues sleeping then you need to spot the potential problems that are causing the issue including the environment, your routines, and your schedule.
Here we are going to take a closer look at what could be potentially sabotaging your sleep and ways you can fix it.
1. You’re Drinking Too Much Caffeine
According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average adult needs between seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Getting 6 ½ hours of sleep might not seem significant, but that loss of thirty minutes cause drowsiness, underproductivity, and mood swings. To help get those extra few moments, try to drink less caffeine in the afternoons and wind day in the evening by turning off computers and cell phones. If you need that cup of joe, try doing a caffeine-free cup instead.
2. You’re Not On A Consistent Sleep Schedule
Your body likes being on a schedule, and if there is a change in that schedule, it can cause you to lose precious sleep. People who have responsibilities at school and work, especially shift workers, are most likely having issues with their sleep since they are working non-traditional hours and it can take your body a while to adjust to a new schedule. If this is the case for you, make sure your bedroom is quiet and dark during your sleep time and when you wake up, expose yourself to light. Keep this routine as consistent as possible to help get a good sleep pattern.
3. You’re Checking You’re Phone Before Bed
All your electronics give off light from the blue part of the spectrum, and this blue light specifically stops our body’s production of melatonin, which helps us fall asleep. Give yourself a sleep curfew at least an hour to an hour and a half before bedtime. If you can’t escape your phone at night, then look for apps that help skew the color of the screen at night, some iPhones even have a “night mode.”
4. You Look At the Clock or Phone in the Middle of the Night
Although it might seem harmless, looking at your alarm clock in the middle of the night can mess with your sleep, according to Self. Everyone has the habit of checking the clock and then doing the math to see how much sleep they can still get. This wakes our brain up and gets it is going, making it harder to fall back to sleep. Instead of checking your clock at all hours of the night, cover it so you can’t see what time it is.
5. You’re Eating Too Much At Dinner
Our bodies are continually working and digesting the food we eat, and if you chow down on a massive, protein-packed, fatty dinner, it will take your body four or more hours to digest. This means your body could still be working as you crawl into bed, and this can lead to heartburn or reflux that will keep you up at night. Instead, try to eat a smaller, earlier dinner, so your body has time to burn that food off. If you get the late-night munchies opt for something like nuts, cheese, or fruit that will easily be digested by your body.
6. Your Pillows Aren’t Right For The Way You Sleep
Our beautiful, fluffy pillows could be the thing that is stopping us from that perfect night of sleep. Depending on how you like to sleep depends on the type of pillow you need. Back and stomach sleepers should go for a thinner pillow, while side sleepers need something a little fuller to help with the space between their head and the mattress. Particular pillows can strain the muscles in the neck, which can put us in a lighter sleep stage.
7. You’re Drinking Too Much Liquid Before Bed
This is an obvious one, but your liquid consumption before bed can be messing with your sleep. The more liquid we drink before turning in can cause us to get up numerous times in the night to use the restroom. Try to slow down on how much you drink before going to bed and make sure to use the bathroom before turning the lights off. If you do need to get up for a bathroom break, try to keep the room as dark as possible, this will help you fall back to sleep faster.
8. The Temperature in your Room is Wrong
The optimal room temperature for sleep is around 68 to 72 degrees and can change a few digits, depending on where you live. If your room is too warm, you could be waking up due to sweating, but you also don’t want it so low that you’re shivering. Try to keep your room between 68 to 72 degrees, and if you get a little hot, you can stick your feet out from under the comforter. The soles of your feet dissipated heat well and can cool you down faster.
These are just eight ways you could be sabotaging your sleep. More factors could be going on, so try to weed out the easy ones before diving deeper into your sleep issues.
Source: National Sleep Foundation