There are many reasons you might be having trouble getting to sleep. Many common sleep disorders can cause difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep all night.
Still, there are also many external stimuli that could be keeping you awake at night. Eliminating these habits is a great way of getting back to healthy, restful sleep habits. Here are our top 10 picks for things NOT to do before bed.
Eat Heavy Foods
Besides the risk of excessive weight gain due to lower resting metabolic rate, eating before you go to sleep can also make it difficult to achieve a restful night’s sleep.
Eating overly filling foods can cause stomach cramps and discomfort. Furthermore, our bodies are also more likely to experience acid reflux, indigestion, and nausea at night if only because of the lateral position of our bodies at night. Digestion is aided by a person being upright throughout the process and can be disrupted by a change in position. Our bodies are also less tolerant of insulin at night, which can cause many problems, both long-term and short-term.
So, while it is best to avoid eating in the hour before you go to bed, there are some foods that should be avoided more than others. Eating spicy food, carb-heavy foods, and sweets (especially chocolate, which actually contains a fair bit of caffeine as well) is going to make going to sleep and staying asleep more difficult and open you up to more health problems down the road. If you must snack, try some plant-based options like raw carrots, broccoli, or even veggie chips. These options are low on sugar, so they are unlikely to give you an energy high, and they are healthy enough not to disrupt your natural digestion much.
Drink Sugary or Caffeinated Drinks
Similarly to eating heavy foods, drinking certain drinks can also disrupt your digestive system. More importantly, though, substances like caffeine are notorious for increasing energy levels. Caffeine is considered a stimulant. This means that it increases activity in your brain and nervous system as well as assisting in the transport of heavier levels of adrenaline. Not exactly ideal circumstances for restful sleep.
You might immediately think of coffee when you hear someone mention caffeine-heavy drinks, but soda and tea are also sources of caffeine. Additionally, tea and soda have a ton of sugar in them, which is another substance that can increase energy levels.
When it comes time to go to sleep for the night, avoid drinks heavy in caffeine and sugar. Instead, try keeping a cup of water on your bedside table, or wind down with an herbal tea, such as camomile, ginger, or hibiscus teas. They smell great, taste great, and won’t keep you up at night.
Play on Your Phone
Phones are a part of most of our day-to-day life, and we often sleep with them charging well within our reach. Unfortunately, studies show that elevated screen time just before bed can lead to chronic insomnia, and difficulty falling asleep.
The blue lights emitted from our phones may trigger certain reactions in our bodies, such as lower production of melanin. Melanin is a hormone that plays a major role in your body’s natural sleep cycle.
Additionally, social media and streaming apps can be really addicting. You might decide to scroll for a few minutes only to realize three hours later that it’s past midnight already! It happens all the time.
Save yourself the sleep deprivation and try plugging your phone in just out of your reach. Not only will this help you quell the urge to check your phone as you are going to sleep, but it will also require that you physically get up to turn off any alarms set for the morning, giving you a better chance of fully waking in the morning instead of sleeping through your alarms.
Play Video Games
While video games are a great way to engage your mind and improve coordination, they should be shut off at least an hour before you plan to go to bed.
Whether you prefer sports games, hunting games, or combat games, the flashes of color and movement on the screen can negatively impact your circadian rhythm. Furthermore, video games are easy to fall into the same trap that social media sets; five minutes can turn into an hour then two hours then all night without you noticing much time has passed at all. Objective-based games are especially difficult to stop after a set time.
So, to ensure that you are getting a full and restful night’s sleep every night, try to turn the console off before bedtime.
Exercise
A light exercise like yoga or meditation is a great way to wind down for the night. However, more intensive exercise regimens release endorphins in the brain that signal energy and happiness to your brain. And while happiness is rarely a bad thing, the kind of euphoria often associated with working out can keep you from falling asleep easily.
Heavy exercise is best in the morning, when you can take that adrenaline given and use it throughout your day. It is also a great way to get your heart pumping and boost your metabolism.
Watch Television
Watching television is one of the most common ways that people wind down for bed. Many people have a comfort show that they play every night to put them to sleep. Is this a healthy practice, though?
Unfortunately, it is not a very effective tool for encouraging sleep for most people. However familiar the show may be, television shows and movies are designed to be compelling, and draw an audience in. Even when we know what happens next, a part of our brains are still tuning in to watch the drama or the comedy unfold.
There is also a similar issue with television blue lights with cell phones, albeit not as strongly. Cellphones are often kept very close to the face, so the effects are minimal. Still, lights and sounds are very stimulating and can make it more difficult instead of easier to fall asleep with the television on.
Smoke or Vape
We’re not here to tell you that smoking is hugely unhealthy because you probably already know that. But did you know that it can also negatively affect your sleep cycle?
Though many people use smoking as a way to wind down or relax after a stressful day, the nicotine present in cigarettes and many vapes is actually considered both a stimulant and a depressant. The use of nicotine can release hormones that can give your body the impression that it has more energy than it truly does. This is why many smokers struggle to get to sleep and stay asleep throughout the night.
Furthermore, smoking is a leading cause of sleep apnea, a condition in which patients experience episodes where they stop breathing throughout the night. This is because smoking causes so many problems within the respiratory system, it is common for tar buildup to partially block airways.
Check Work-Related Messages
Whether you work from home or just bring the stress home with you, checking work-related messages at night can be a huge stressor and therefore keep you awake at night.
Keep in mind that there are very few emails or text messages that need to be addressed past 5 o’clock in the evening. Barring extreme emergencies (which the proper authorities will take care of, not you) business hours are there for a reason.
Besides the negative impact that excessive stress can cause and the blue light dilemma from using your phone at night, constantly checking work messages is also bad for your mental health.
When it’s time to leave the office or close the door to your workshop, try to let that be the end of your work day. Any messages after that time can be answered in the morning.
Sleep Disorders and Treatment
If you eliminate these behaviors, but you are still having difficulty receiving a full night’s rest, Dr. Gingras at Gingras Sleep Medicine will have the best solution for your wellness. Dr. Gingras is a highly accomplished, triple board certified sleep medicine specialist located in Concord and Charlotte, North Carolina who has been successfully treating patients for decades!
For more resources on signs that you might have a sleep disorder or ways to create healthy sleep patterns, check out our blog or schedule a consultation with us today! Book your appointment by visiting our website at gingrassleepmedicine.com or calling us at (704) 944-0562.