Most people seek to get more sleep but with similar habits. Unfortunately, this is impossible as you have to change into sleep habits that promote more quality sleep. When it comes to experiencing good sleep, ensure you have the basics in order. For instance, proper beddings, a clean environment, getting rid of an old mattress, and following a useful guide for buying mattress, among many other things. In this way, you are on the path to getting the quantity and quality of sleep. In this article are some sleep mistakes people should avoid.
1. Thinking you can make up for sleep
Most people sleep in on weekends thinking they can make up for lost sleep. It is like skipping a meal during weekdays and hoping to eat all those meals during the weekend. In the same way, if you miss sleep during the week, you cannot make up for all the lost hours by sleeping more hours on the weekends.
Therefore, you will feel better the day you sleep well at night, but you cannot store up sleep for the coming weekend. Thus, get enough sleep by having a sleep routine that you follow religiously.
2. Not taking enough time to unwind
A mistake people make when it comes to sleep is thinking there’s a switch you press to trigger you to sleep. Unfortunately, that is not how it works. In physiological terms, sleep comes through body functions, the heart rate, brain wave activity, and body temperature decreasing and slowing down.
All these processes do not happen instantly or just because you jumped in bed. You have to create an environment that prepares your body to sleep. It could be listening to calming music, reading, or taking a warm shower. So, take time to unwind to sleep better and easier.
3. Drinking too many nightcaps before bed
Alcohol can make you sleep fast, for it acts as a sedative. But this is not an artificial way of falling asleep. Sleep through alcohol drowsiness takes your brain to deep sleep, and it stays there instead of cycling through all stages of sleep that helps rejuvenate the mind and body in various ways. Plus, as the effects wear off, your body spends more time in lighter sleep stages, and you end up tossing and turning till morning.
Therefore, if you have to take a cocktail or two, do so hours away from bedtime to avoid messing with your sleep.
4. Mindlessly caffeinating throughout the day
How much caffeine do you consume in a day? Depending on the amount, it could be affecting how best you sleep. If you have more caffeine in the late afternoon, it is detrimental to your sleep health. Caffeine is a stimulant that makes you feel more alert. It may be good to kick start the day but taking it late in the afternoon does not give it enough time to wear off the body completely.
If caffeine affects how refreshing you wake up or your ability to fall asleep with ease. Think of how you can change your caffeine-consuming habit.
5. Bringing electronics to bed
Wherever you go, cellphones bring the world to your fingertips, except when you are trying to shut down and sleep. And the same goes for TVs, laptops, tablets, and other electronics. The light the electronics emit throws off your circadian rhythm and keep you awake, for it suppresses the production of the melatonin hormone that promotes sleep. Plus, when you are on your phone before bed, you are absorbing a lot of information and end up stimulating your brain.
You end up engaged, and your sleep environment is no longer friendly. So, power down an hour to bed to unwind.
6. Worrying about sleeping too much
To sleep well, though it sounds contradictory, is not to worry about sleep too much. Sleep is not a voluntary phenomenon. So, if you stress about having a sleep routine, enough sleeping hours, and other things, it becomes tough for your body to relax and for sleep to initiate. So, if you are sleeping well, do not change your routine.
If you feel there is room for improvement, check your sleep habits and follow what works for your body.
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