11 Things You Didn’t Know That Can Disrupt Your Sleep

There are so many things that will cause you to not sleep or sleep very poorly through the night. Anything from life choices, stress, medical conditions to things that you ate before going to bed will affect how you sleep that night. But here are some things that can disrupt your sleep that you might not know about.

Alcohol

It might come to you as a surprise that not a lot of people know that alcohol can give you a hard time sleeping. Even though the initial effect of calming you down, the more you are drinking, the harder it will be for you to fall asleep. It not only interferes with your spell cycle but it also disrupts your REM phase. That is why you are less likely to get a good night of sleep when you have been drinking.

Poor Sleep Habits

Another thing that people don’t think about is how bad their sleep habits are. The later you end up staying up, the worse sleep you will have. Along with that, watching tv in bed, not having a sleep schedule as well as staring at your phone before sleeping will worsen your sleep quality. Fortunately, these are all things that can be easily fixed.

Sharing A Bed With Someone

Even though you might be sharing a bed with someone that you love, it can reduce the quality of your sleep, and it doesn’t have to be your partner or for that matter a human. That is because they might be crowding you, hogging the covers, snoring, kicking, or just making you uncomfortable for some reason. Even though you are not likely going to get rid of whoever you are sharing your bed with, make sure that you let them know and figure out a solution.

A Poor Sleep Environment

Not a lot of bedrooms are actually perfect sleep environments. First of all, the temperature should be in the middle of 65 and 72 but people often keep their rooms below that which can disrupt your sleep. Another really important thing is that a lot of people neglect the quality of their matrices. If you can’t afford a new mattress or simply don’t want to get a whole new one, look into getting a mattress topper. A nice mattress topper will also help out with allergies as well as help regulate the temperature in the bed.

Stress

One of the most common yet under looked reasons why people don’t sleep at night is stress. That is because during the day you will be able to preoccupy your brain into forgetting that you are stressed, but when you lay down in bed your mind will be free to roam. That is why you need to ensure that you are looking and focusing on the positives rather than letting yourself get overwhelmed by your brain.

Exercise

Even though a lot of people exercise just to sleep better at night, that can quickly backfire. That is because people don’t realise that doing a heart-pumping workout or running 5 miles before you go to bed won’t actually put you to sleep. It will work the opposite way as your body will stimulate your nervous system and make you less tired. If you want to wind down with an exercise, walk your dog around the block or do some yoga.

Milk

Another thing that might shock people is that milk can actually worsen your sleep and not make you fall asleep faster. Even though it has tryptophan which helps produce more serotonin it doesn’t have enough to help you sleep it will actually do the opposite and your stomach will be filled with warm milk.

Spicy and Acidic Foods

Things might be sad for you if you are a fan of spicy or acidic foods but having them before you go to bed can cause you not to fall asleep. That is because those foods can cause heartburn also known as acid reflux. To make it even worse, laying down makes the discomfort even worse which when combined will disrupt your sleep completely.

Anxiety and Depression

A lot of people think that anxious and depressed people sleep a lot, but that is not the case. When you’re battling depression, it can deeply affect your sleeping quality. If you find yourself struggling with either of those, make sure that you seek help from your doctor and improve your sleep.

Naps

Even if you take a 20-minute nap it will still disrupt your sleep schedule. That is because it will throw your body off and it will be really hard to fall asleep after, as your body thinks that you have slept already. It is better to power through the day without a nap and have a good night’s rest than struggling to fall asleep.

 

Fatty Foods

Eating fatty foods is generally not a good thing to do, but it is especially bad if you do it before going to bed. That is because all the saturated fats will have a negative effect on your sleep patterns. There are many different studies that have proven that those who are eating fatty foods in their diets struggle with sleep disorders. On top of that, eating a heavy and fatty meal before going to bed will just leave you with an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach that will keep you awake at night.

 

If you are struggling to fall asleep and you are wondering why that is, the first thing that you should do is assess your lifestyle. Look for things that might be distorting your happiness and sleep. But if you can’t figure it out or you just can’t seem to find a reason why you are not able to sleep, make sure that you are consulting with a professional. They will either help you find something that is bothering you or prescribe you medication that will help you fall asleep. Never take sleep medication without consulting a professional first.