Trouble falling asleep? You might have one of these five common bad bedtime behaviors. Learn how to kick the habit and get back to sleep with these tips.
You’re tired of being tired. We get it. Plenty of people notice the effects of poor sleep – everything from inability to concentrate to irritability to weight gain – yet they don’t know where to begin to reverse the cycle of poor sleep. Take a look at your bedtime routine: You may be ruining your chances for sleeping soundly before your head even hits the pillow.
No, we’re not talking about watching your favorite show nonstop (we’ll get to that in no. 5), we’re talking about dinner … and dessert … and nighttime snacks. Your body needs time to digest all that food before you lie down, otherwise you’re likely to have indigestion and heartburn, which can interfere with sleep. Why? When your stomach is really full, acid can creep into your esophagus (hello, heartburn). Lying down compounds the problem since gravity isn’t there to aid in keeping the stomach acid in place.
Sorry. It’s just not true that consuming alcohol before bed helps you sleep better. While alcohol may make you feel drowsy, numerous studies point out that it disrupts your ability to go into and remain in a deep, restful sleep state.
Rigorous exercise, like taking a long run before you snooze, can make it difficult to sleep. Intense exercise raises your body temperature and triggers the release of endorphins, plus it can raise levels of cortisol. Any other time of day, no problem. In fact, people who exercise regularly report sleeping better. But your core body temperature needs to go down for you to sleep well. And all those endorphins bouncing around in your brain may keep you buzzing, making it harder to unwind and fall asleep.
It’s tempting to stay up an hour or two thinking you can get more done that way. But sliding into the habit of going to bed later and later can have disastrous results on your health. Night owls not only sleep less, but may be at a greater risk for developing poor eating habits and diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Your smartphone is part of your life. It’s your newscaster, travel planner, organizer, entertainer, alarm and more all rolled into one. Yet your brain is wired to react to what it sees on the screen. It acts as a stimulant, as opposed to helping lull you to sleep. That one last check of your email before bed? That sends your brain into problem-solving mode, not sleep mode. And the light from those screens can negatively impact your sleep too, again signaling to your brain it’s still time to be awake, as opposed to releasing sleep-inducing hormones.
These five tips can easily help you improve your sleep habits, but remember, the foundation for a great sleep routine is a great mattress. If your current one is giving you aches and pains when you wake up every morning, you may want to consider purchasing a new one.
Time to spill – what’s your worst bedtime behavior? Tell us your dirty sleep secrets on social media using #MyBadBedtimeHabit.
Most importantly, find a great mattress from Patriot Mattress Co.
Sources:
Quality sleep can make all the difference in your life. Sleep is vital for your brain to store memories. It’s when your body rejuvenates tissue and allows your immune system to fight off diseases. It even helps you have better control of your emotions. So before you do anything, take the time to see if you have any bad sleeping habits you need to break and discover the importance of a good night’s sleep. You deserve it.
“The key to better sleep lies within each one of us,” says Mary Helen Rogers, vice president of marketing and communications for the Better Sleep Council. “When sleep goes awry, it can feel like you have no control. But people may not realize how much influence they can have over their own sleep.”
You can become a better sleeper by using some self-regulated, sleep-improvement tips like these:
Like many things in life, you’re looking to turn quality sleep into a habit. So be consistent in your efforts. Establish a consistent bedtime to regulate your body clock. Incorporate these self-care strategies into your daily sleep routine. Soon falling asleep will become easier and your slumber will be more rejuvenating.
“It’s often just a matter of being more dedicated and disciplined about how we approach our sleep,” added Rogers.
Finally, don’t let your mattress work against you and all your self-care efforts. Consider the age and condition of your mattress (and your pillows too). Maybe it’s worn. Maybe it’s not the right one for you altogether. Getting the correct fit, feel and level of support can be the single, most-effective thing you can do to improve your sleep.
https://blog.marketresearch.com/the-10-billion-self-improvement-market-adjusts-to-new-generationSources:
This blog provides general information about sleep and sleep products. The words and other content provided in this blog, and in any linked materials, are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified heath care professional. This blog should not be construed as medical advice or used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. If the reader or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately-licensed physician or other health care professional. This blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and should not be relied upon to make decisions about your health or the health of others. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog or elsewhere on bettersleep.org. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911
Wish you could hibernate through the winter? Learn why you might struggle sleeping this season and what you can do about it.
’Twas a night close to Christmas, and all through your house,
Nobody’s awake. Not your kids. Not your spouse.
It’s late in the evening. And your day is a wrap.
So you settle in for a long winter’s nap.
But you’re tossing and turning. Your brain’s all a scatter.
“I’m wide awake! Ugh! What’s the matter?!”
It’s been tougher to sleep. There must be a reason.
Turns out your problems may be caused by the season.
Like it or not, the changing seasons impact your sleep. Now that winter is near, you’ve got some new challenges to face. Here’s a quick guide on some factors that can hamper sleep in winter and what you can do to survive the season.
From Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve, we’re surrounded by tasty foods and delicious beverages. Changes in your eating habits during the holidays, like having meals later than normal or consuming extra caffeine throughout the day, can disrupt your sleep with heartburn, indigestion, insomnia or just a few extra middle-of-the-night bathroom visits.
It’s not just you that can suffer from holiday overindulgence. Alcohol relaxes your muscles, including those in your mouth and throat, which can compromise your airways. Translation: loud snoring and a sleep partner who’s wide awake.
SURVIVE IT: To avoid sleep Scrooges, like insomnia and heartburn, be mindful of what and when you eat. Try limiting caffeine, alcohol or heavy meals to the early evening. (Still tossing and turning at night? Try a sleep aid.)
Cold air is drier air. Dry air leads to chapped lips, itchy skin, scratchy throats and dry noses. At best, these uncomfortable conditions can annoy you when you’re in bed trying to get to sleep. At worst, they leave you vulnerable to colds and infections. And we all know how hard it is to get restful sleep when you’re sick.
SURVIVE IT: Try using a humidifier in your bedroom to keep your nasal passages moist. (We like models with aromatherapy capability. Especially when used with lavender essential oil.) Drink plenty of fluids. Take warm, not hot, showers and apply lotion right after you towel off to lock in moisture for your skin.
The frigid temperatures and whipping winter winds outside drive us inside, where we immediately kick up the thermostat to 72°F or more. (Guilty, as charged.) That’s fine when we’re awake. But our body temperature naturally falls when we sleep. Rooms that are too warm can disrupt this biological sleep pattern, keeping us awake.
SURVIVE IT: The ideal bedroom temperature is around 65-67°F. Set your programmable thermostat to drop to that level shortly after your usual bedtime so you’re cozy and warm when your head hits the pillow, but cool as a snowman once you’re asleep.
Melatonin is a sleep-promoting hormone produced by your brain in response to darkness. Gloomier days and earlier sunsets in winter can trigger melatonin release throughout the day, leaving you feeling groggy in the morning and fatigued by mid-afternoon.
Unfortunately, you may also feel more awake at bedtime because you never got the distinct, intense release of melatonin that you did during summer when long, sunlit days turn to dark nights.
SURVIVE IT: Regulate your melatonin and your internal clock by getting ample exposure to daylight during the winter. Sit by a window right after you wake up. Bundle up and take a walk at lunch.
Sources:
This blog provides general information about sleep and sleep products. The words and other content provided in this blog, and in any linked materials, are not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified heath care professional. This blog should not be construed as medical advice or used to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or condition. If the reader or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately-licensed physician or other health care professional. This blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and should not be relied upon to make decisions about your health or the health of others. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog or elsewhere on bettersleep.org. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.
]]>
Why getting 40 winks is key to success at your 40-hour-a-week job.
For some of us, work is a real snoozer. For others, the stress of our job or a nightmarish work environment brings on nightly fits of restless tossing and turning. The 2019 State of America’s Sleep research study reveals the effects that lack of sleep has on work performance. (Hint: When one isn’t going well, the other suffers.)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, full-time workers put in an average of 8.5 hours a day during the week. Working adults in the State of America’s Sleep study report sleeping just 6.84 hours on average a night. That means all of us wage earners spend about 100 more minutes on the clock than in bed every day, and we’re getting far less than the 7-8 hours of sleep that experts recommend.
“If you could choose to either spend an extra hour and a half in bed asleep every day or be at the office, you’d struggle to find someone who would choose work,” said Mary Helen Rogers, vice president of marketing and communications for the Better Sleep Council. “But that’s the reality of how the majority of us spend our time.”
Staying up late to finish a report. Picking up a second shift of overtime. Taking on a ride-sharing gig at night. (Sound familiar?) You may think trading sleep for work is a way to stay ahead. Think again:
It’s not just your job that affects your sleep. It appears that sleep (or lack of it) has a lot to do with how you feel about your job too.
Nearly six out of 10 employed adults (57%) who answered the State of America’s Sleep study classified themselves as poor sleepers. Compared with workers who said they were excellent sleepers (29%), poor sleepers were:
Want to be a rock star at work? Try sleeping in. Really. A well-rested you is a sharper, more effective performer. So set a sleep schedule, close the curtains and practice good sleep hygiene to ensure you’re getting the rest you need every night.
Wish you loved your job more? Spend more time in bed dreaming about being blissful at work. With a good night’s sleep, you’re far likely to feel better about whatever situations work throws at you.
Patriot Mattress Co. can help with your sleep! We have mattresses for every person and body type - so we can fit you to the mattress that will allow you to sleep the best!
]]>