Do you toss and turn in your sleep? Do you wake up feeling tired and restless? Do you even bother to hit the snooze button anymore? If you answered yes to any of these questions and don’t know why you have trouble sleeping, it’s time to answer these eight questions about your pre-sleep routine.
Ask Yourself:
1. Is your room a sleeping environment?
You brain needs to associate your bedroom with sleep. Is your room quiet, dark and cool? These are the best elements for your room to have to mentally associate your room with sleep. Remember these three tips:
- Quiet. Use a white noise system to drown out the creaking of your house or dog barking next door. A fan is also a great choice. It provides white noise and keeps your room cool.
- Cool. Keep your room between 60 and 75°F.
- Dark. When light hits your eyelids, whether natural of fake, it sends a signal to your brain that it’s time to wake up and be alert.
2. What do you do before bed?
Physical and psychological activity increase the amount of cortisol in your brain, a chemical that induces alertness. Engage in soothing activities before bed, such as taking a hot bath, reading a book, or practicing meditating exercises.
On that note – don’t watch television or play on your phone before bed. The light that is emitted through these screened technologies stimulates the brain. It might be relaxing to watch TV or check Facebook before bed, but it can actually make it harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep during the night.
3. Did you take a nap today? What time was it at? How long did it last?
Naps are a great way to re-energize your body during the day, but what time are you napping? Is it a power nap? Does it last for more than 30 minutes?
If you do revel in taking naps, take them before 5 p.m. Any later can affect how well you sleep at night.
4. How late did you eat dinner?
Midnight snacks are fine – as long as they don’t affect how you sleep. What time you eat dinner, on the other hand, can affect how you sleep. Eat dinner a few hours before bedtime to avoid digestion problems.
5. Did you drink caffeine earlier?
Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine are stimulating chemicals. Avoid consuming these several hours before bed.
*Note: Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but after a few hours it starts to act as a stimulant.
6. Do you go to sleep when you’re tired? Do you wake up with the sunlight?
Go to sleep when your body tells you it’s time for bed. Don’t stay up just because you haven’t seen the movie!
As explained earlier, the sunlight is nature’s way of telling your body it’s time to start the day. Don’t block the blinds with heavy duty curtains. Allow the sunlight to hit your eyelids and tell your brain it’s time to get up.
7. Do you change your sleeping schedule for the weekend?
“Sleeping in” on Saturday and Sunday morning is a great way to mess up your sleep schedule. It throws off your body’s internal clock and it will make Monday morning that much harder to get out of bed.
8. Are you exercising?
It’s okay if you can’t fit in a workout every day. Even a light walk around the block is better than nothing! Exercise helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night. Not only is it good for your health, it is good for your shut eye!
Why does it matter?
You might remember the post we wrote a few weeks back about why sleep is important. There are several reasons as to why we need to get enough sleep.
It is our body’s way of rejuvenating it’s functions for the next day, repairing the heart and blood vessels, improving our learning processes, strengthening our memories and more.
How do I know I’m not an insomniac?
Insomnia is more than a bad night’s rest. It is a sleep disorder that can be caused from stress, illness, medications, depression, etc.
If you are worried you might be an insomniac, click here to learn more.
Remember to start small to make big changes. Replace your late night midnight munchies with a lightweight, non-stimulating snack and read a book instead of catching up with friends on social media before bed. If you continue to have trouble sleeping, call your doctor to see if there might be an underlying issue.
Need a doctor? Call Mountain Peaks at 801-724-9840. One of our award-winning doctors is available to help you.