We’ve all experienced a restless night of no sleep; it seems that no matter what you try, you find yourself watching the clock, unable to fall asleep. If this sounds like you then you’re not alone, as 63% of people surveyed claimed to be unhappy with the amount of sleep they get each night. However, there are certain measures you can make to revolutionise your sleep routine; here are five common mistakes people make when trying to get to sleep and tips on how to stop making them:
- They don’t alter their bedroom temperature
Temperature is a big factor when it comes to getting a great night’s sleep as your body can use a lot of energy trying to alter your core body temperature, which can leave you feeling groggy and exhausted when your alarm goes off. 60-75F is the optimum room temperature if you want to get the best night’s sleep possible, so you should take every measure possible to keep your room at this level; fans and internal air conditioning are one way to do this during the summer months.
- Too much screen time
It might be tempting to check your social media or work emails before bed, but this can be costly for your night’s sleep. Research suggests that the blue light emitted from our technology can really disrupt our sleep pattern; participants in the study had significantly lower levels of sleep hormones if they were exposed to blue lights before bed. Swap your technology for another pre-sleep ritual and use the time to fall in love with reading or even to talk more with your partner.
- Not enough exercise
You might struggle to fall asleep at night simply because your body isn’t tired enough. This is particularly common for people who have inactive office jobs as they aren’t getting enough physical activity to fully tire out their body. Yoga is a great exercise to try out, as it is less strenuous than most other exercises and will prepare your body for sleep; when you practice yoga, your body releases endorphins and encourages the production of the ‘happy hormone’ serotonin; this means that you’ll go to bed feeling less stressed and anxious.
- Hit the bottle before bed
Alcohol has a relaxing and calming effect on the body which is why many people turn to it for an easy way to fall asleep; however, alcohol consumption is probably contributing to your sleepless night as your sleep quality and depth is likely to be impacted; you’ll probably get up several times to go to the toilet and you’re also likely to wake up feeling dehydrated.
- Going to sleep at random times
Are you guilty of staying awake that extra bit longer to finish a TV show, or “catching up on sleep” at weekends with a lie-in? If so, you could be disrupting your own sleep pattern. The secret to waking up feeling refreshed is by establishing a consistent sleep routine that doesn’t end at the weekend. By sacrificing your lie-ins and being more strict with what time you go to bed, you could reap the benefits of a more productive workday that you can power through without any caffeine.
