Daily Habits That Can Ruin Sleep

If you wake up in the morning totally drained or find yourself tossing and turning in the bed at night, you may need to take a look at your daily activities. There may be something small that you are doing that is keeping you awake at night, even when you feel tired.

Although it is often called a "night cap", drinking alcohol before bed can reduce the quality of your sleep. Drinking alcoholic beverages will help you to fall asleep sooner, but your sleep will not be normal. Alcohol increases non-REM sleep and reduces REM-sleep for the first part of the night. REM sleep is when you have dreams and it is essential to your mind, emotions, and stress management. Getting enough REM sleep helps you to wake up in a better mood. Without it, you might find yourself in a bitter mood throughout the day. During the second part of the night, the alcohol has already been metabolized by the body. You will now go through symptoms similar to withdrawal, being disrupted by multiple awakenings and difficulty returning to sleep.

Drinking caffeinated beverages also has a negative effect on sleep, obviously. What you might not know, however, is how long the caffeine lasts in your body. The half-life of caffeine is about six hours. This means that half the caffeine from the Mountain Dew that you had with your dinner at 5 o'clock is still in your system at 11 o'clock. If you try to go to bed at 9, you are going to have a lot of trouble reaching that deep sleep that your body needs. Avoiding caffeine altogether after having it everyday can cause headaches, fatigue, and even depression. To get better sleep at night without getting rid of your favorite drinks, make a cut off time that you will stop drinking caffeinated drinks. Also, try to reduce the amount that you consume so that your body does not become too dependent on it.

What you drink is not the only thing that can affect your sleep. What you eat and when you eat are both just as important. Some foods require longer to digest than others. Going to sleep with a full stomach of high protein and high fat food can take quite a bit to digest and cause great discomfort while sleeping. If you are going to eat a heavy meal, it is best to allow yourself at least four hours before going to bed. Not eating before sleep can cause uncomfortable hunger pains. Therefore, it is important to know your body and your food and adjust the time that you eat and sleep accordingly.

Another thing that deprives your body of sleep is going to bed when you are not tired. If your brain is still alert after laying in bed for awhile, it is useless to continue to lay there. Who knows how long it will take you to finally drift off. Instead, get out of bed and do something that is either relaxing or boring. Reading a book is a good habit to relax the mind, as is watching reruns on television. However, you shouldn't have to do this every night. To get a good night's sleep, you need to put yourself on a sleep schedule so that you fall asleep around the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. To begin this routine, relax yourself an hour or two before you actually plan to go to bed. A warm bath works great to relax the body. Once you create your sleep cycle, you will find yourself waking up easier in the morning.

Before you get your sleep routine in order, you may feel tired throughout the day. If possible, it is best to avoid napping. Napping during the day can cause you stay up later at night and will throw off the schedule that you are trying to develop.

Some people think that it is a good idea to exercise before bed so that you wear your body out. This is definitely not a good idea. Exercising pumps your energy level and can keep you going for hours. If you haven't exercised during the day, then doing it an hour before bed will cause restlessness. However, studies have shown that exercise done in the morning or mid afternoon can actually help you to sleep better at night. Timing your workout about six hours before sleep will be the most beneficial. Exercise causes an increase in body temperature and after this period of six hours, the temperature will drop. Your decreased body temperature will help you to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Once you figure out what is disrupting your sleep, change it. Getting enough sleep is essential for you to be able to function at full potential.