Stop Sabotaging Your Sleep Cycle!

Getting a good night’s sleep in contributing to your overall energy levels.  But while we all know how important regular shut-eye is, we aren’t always aware of all the different ways we prevent this process from occurring.

So if you’re struggling to get a full eight hours of restful sleep each night, check to see whether any of the following bad sleep habits could be sabotaging your nightly cycle!

Bad Habit #1 – Too much screen time

It’s no secret that Americans spend too much time with our eyes locked on digital screens – whether we’re sedentary on the couch watching popular sitcoms or sending a few last email messages from our smartphones while in bed.

But in addition to making us less active physically and strapping us with a number of different health impacts, this excessive screen time can make it difficult for our brains to power down and sleep deeply.  To improve your sleep:

• Give yourself 1-2 hours of screen-free time immediately before trying to fall asleep.  This will allow your mind to gradually wind down from the day and prepare for sleep.
• Banish working from your bed.  Your bed should be a restful place.  Working under the covers sends your brain mixed messages that may ultimately disrupt future sleep.
• Try to use a real alarm clock.  Keep your smartphone or tablet away from your bed so that you aren’t tempted to browse online when you should be sleeping.  Getting a real bedside alarm clock eliminates the excuse that you need your digital devices nearby to help you wake up.

Bad Habit #2 – Late night workouts

Intense workouts trigger a number of different biological processes that serve to disrupt sleep, from releasing rushes of endorphins to increasing metabolism – exactly what you want to avoid come bed time!

Instead of working out into the wee hours of the night, replace your late night workouts with simple yoga sessions that focus on restorative, relaxing postures.  Doing so will help to clear your mind and reduce muscle tension, helping prepare you for rest without revving your heart up.

Bad Habit #3 – Afternoon caffeine

Hopefully, last week’s article made it clear that we believe sugar and caffeine to be poor substitutes for true energy-boosting lifestyle habits.  However, it’s important to be aware that even innocuous-sounding foods and beverages can contain enough caffeine to disrupt sleep patterns.

As an example, say you’ve switched your afternoon can of Coke to the non-cola alternative of Sunkist’s orange soda.  Surprise!  The orange soda has 41 milligrams of caffeine per can – even more than the 34 milligrams found in a can of Coca Cola.  Other surprising sources of caffeine can include chocolate, ice cream that contains coffee or chocolate, weight loss pills and even some brands of decaf coffee.

If you’re struggling to fall asleep at night – despite cutting back on your coffee – these hidden culprits could be to blame.  Weed them out of your diet after 4:00pm in order to avoid sabotaging your sleep cycles later on.

Bad Habit #4 – Relying on sleeping pills

Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no over-the-counter or prescription sleeping pill that can truly replace the value of a good night’s sleep.  In fact, research published by the “Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin” suggests that long-term usage of these can lead to dependence, increase the risk of drug-related accidents and lead to a number of negative health consequences.

If you’re on sleeping pills (or if your doctor recommends beginning such a regimen), consider seeking out alternatives that address the root causes of your sleep insufficiencies.  Stress, for example, is one major factor that can prevent you from falling asleep or achieving the deepest stages of sleep.  Learning to minimize stress through meditation, restorative yoga and other relaxation techniques will do much more for your ability to sleep deeply than sleeping pills ever will!

While making major life changes in order to improve the quality of the sleep you get may seem like a huge burden, any efforts you put forth in this area will be well worth it in terms of your increased quality of life.  Though there are plenty of different things that can be sabotaging your sleep, there are also plenty of different solutions.  Finding them and implementing them in your life will go a long way towards turning you into a happier, healthier person.