Waking Hours
What You Do During Your Waking Hours Can Affect Your Sleep
Most people have an occasional sleepless night for one reason or another, and they usually have some idea what caused it, whether it was a stressful day, or too much caffeine. However, there are many people who suffer mild to moderate insomnia on a regular basis and have no idea why. Understanding what types of behaviors that can affect sleep is a good step towards finally being able to go to sleep fast.
There are things we may (or may not) unconsciously do during our day that affects our ability to sleep well at night. Consuming too much caffeine or too much alcohol too close to bedtime, is a prime example. You may have no problem falling asleep after a cocktail or two, but you will wake up when the alcohol wears off and then may have trouble getting back to sleep. Here are a few more behaviors that can affect sleep:
Napping during the day – While a short nap can be very rejuvenating, hence the popular “power-nap” – taken too long can lead to difficulty getting to sleep at night. Naps should be 20 to 30 minutes at the most. If you are having trouble sleeping at night, try not to nap at all.
Smoking – An unhealthy habit to begin with, the nicotine in cigarettes is a stimulant and can make falling asleep difficult, especially for those who smoke right before bed.
Eating – Eating large meals too close to bedtime can make it uncomfortable, since your body has not had enough time to cool down and digest properly. Heartburn could become a problem.
Exercise – Getting enough exercise every day can actually help you sleep at night, but exercising too late in the day can make it harder to fall asleep. So, if you go to the gym, or practice some other form of aerobic activity, just make sure it is at least 2 to 3 hours before you plan to sleep.
Medications – Check the medicine you take, whether it is prescription or over-the-counter, some drugs (like decongestants, diet aids and pain-relievers) can keep you awake.
Sunlight – Not getting enough exposure to sunlight can lead to difficulty in sleeping at night. It all has to do with your circadian rhythm. Exposing yourself to bright light soon after waking up, will help to regulate your body’s internal clock.
Daily Stress – Stressing about occurrences during your day, things that you did not complete, or problems that may be looming in the near future can all affect your ability to relax enough to sleep. It may help to actually make a list of these things on a notepad, along with possible solutions, in order to ‘mentally put these items aside’ until tomorrow or another day. Then you can get on with relaxing for the night.
Sleep Schedule – Setting a regular sleep routine is another way to regulate your internal clock. Erratic bedtimes can only further aggravate any sleep problems you are having. That also goes for “sleeping in” on the weekends in an attempt to catch up on lost sleep.
