4 Factors That Affect Your Sleep
It’s not internet hype when people say sleep is one of the most important things in maintaining our health and wellness. It even ranks higher than exercise and fitness. Sleep is one of the key functions our bodies need to work well, for us to be rested, refreshed, for cognitive function and just about everything we do. If you want to maximize your health, sleep is the key. Have you ever tried to prepare for an important presentation at work on 3 hours of sleep? It doesn’t work because the body doesn’t do well on less than 6 to 8 hours of sleep.
Getting a goodnight’s sleep is something we should prioritize every single night. Prioritizing sleep also means learning what negatively impact our sleeping patterns. Very often the reason people struggle with sleep isn’t because there’s something seriously wrong with their health, but rather because they have certain habits or environments that impeded getting a good night’s sleep. What are some of these habits? In this article, we’ll share how to transform your sleeping habits and improve your life by making just a few tweaks.
Blue-light Emitting Devices
We all love our mobile devices. We can’t live without our phones, laptops, tablets, and smart watches, but very often that’s what makes us toss and turn as we struggle to fall asleep every single night. Human beings have a hormone called melatonin, which is what controls our sleep cycles. The light from our devices actually hurts our melatonin levels and make it hard for us to fall asleep. Our devices are also extremely distracting and when we use them right until we fall asleep, we also decrease the quality of our sleep. This is why so many of us wake up tired, even after getting our full 8 hours in. Fix this by putting your devices away before bed, or switching on your blue-light filter when it gets dark outside.
Unknowingly Drinking Caffeinated Teas
We all know that we aren’t meant to drink caffeine before bed, and we avoid drinking coffee too late in the day. Sometimes it’s nice to have a cup of tea before we turn in for the night, but we have to be careful about what we drink because a lot of teas actually contain caffeine too. If you enjoy a pre-bed cup of tea and you wonder why you struggle to sleep, it might be time to switch to a tea that’s caffeine-free. Very often people have no idea what’s causing their sleeping difficulties until they change some of their eating and sleeping habits.
Bad Mattresses and Pillows
The ability to sleep well isn’t just about what we eat or keeping our smartphones away from us; even the surfaces we sleep on make a huge impact on how good our night’s sleep is. A good mattress shouldn’t be too firm or too soft, and it should provide good back support. If a mattress keeps you tossing and turning at night, that’s not a good sign. Pillows also affect sleep too. For some people, if the pillow is too firm and too high it can make it hard for you to breathe. A soft pillow might hurt your neck and back. If you feel like your mattress isn’t good enough, it might be time to upgrade for the good of your back and your sleep routine. You can even make your purchase online, and you can do that easily when you check out the best place to buy a mattress.
Uncomfortable Clothes
There are so many things that are meant to be worn in bed that aren’t actually that comfortable when it’s time to get into bed. For example, a night dress that clings too tightly makes it hard for you to really relax. If a sweater keeps creeping into your armpits, you won’t fall asleep because you’ll constantly be adjusting it. Also if you’re someone who heats up when you’re asleep, it wouldn’t be a good idea to wear too many layers. The idea is to wear loose, breathable clothing that doesn’t constrict you. You can still find clothing that’s cute without making it hard for you to get that all-important good night’s sleep.
The key to a healthy body isn’t just about exercise and eating right, it’s also about sleep. When you sleep, you rest and recharge every part of your body, and that’s important because it makes everything else in our body function well. When we don’t get enough sleep, it makes us moody. When we’re tired, we also end up eating way more than we need to, drinking more caffeine than we need to and that gets in the way how effective we are in every part of our lives, whether it’s at work, in our personal lives or just in the level of fulfillment we have. So if we want to be happier and healthier, treat your sleep like an important appointment you can never miss.
