There are many things that affect your sleep. I don’t know about you but I like to get my 8 hours and am better off when I can. I do not enjoy when anything affects my sleep. These are things that affect your sleep that I have learned to deal with so I can get a good night’s sleep. I hope they can help you to get a better night's sleep, too.
One of the top things that affect your sleep is consuming too much caffeine or having caffeine too late in the day. This one is pretty much a no brainer. Try to avoid having caffeine after 3 pm or even avoid having it after noon if you are really sensitive to it. If you still are craving a cup of Joe in the afternoon, try having a cup of decaf. This can hit the spot without jacking you up on caffeine.
Using screens (iPods, iPhones, laptops and other devices) up until bedtime is not a good idea. It can interfere with your sleep. I have to be careful about this and have actually started shutting down my screens about 2 hours before bedtime. I found that staying connected right up until bedtime was not helpful in getting a good night’s rest. I usually put all my screens away and watch something light on television or read late in the evening. While television is a screen, it isn’t as likely to disturb your sleep as one you use so closely to your face is.
There are a few rare people that this does not bother, but it does bother me and many others. I cannot exercise late at night. It energizes me and wakes me up. It is best to get your workout in early in the day so this is not a problem that interferes with your sleep.
Something as simple as having your room the wrong temperature can interfere with your sleep. It is best to have your thermostat set somewhere between 68 to 70 degrees at night. Some people prefer it a little cooler. It has been proven that having your thermostat any higher than 70 degrees will interfere with your sleep. While I like my thermostat a little warmer during the day, I have found that I do sleep better at night when it is turned down.
Eating a big meal too close to bedtime is not a good idea. Sometimes you just cannot get comfortable after consuming so much food. Also, it is not very healthy to go to bed on a completely full stomach. This is especially true if you have acid reflux. It can make it much worse. Even if you don’t have acid reflux, you can have heartburn or indigestion from lying down right after you eat.
While light television or light reading is fine in the hours right before bedtime, watching or reading something exciting is not a good idea. It can actually make you more awake and interfere with your sleep. If I am reading something exciting, I tend to want to stay up and read later, which is not good. It is best to stick to light stuff right before bed. Save the exciting stuff for earlier in the day.
Working right up until bedtime is not a good choice. Your body needs time to unwind before bed. If you are working until bedtime, your mind is going to be on work instead of on resting. Try to stop all work related activities a couple of hours before you go to bed. This also includes any projects you are working on at home. Everyone needs time to unwind before they sleep.
Sleep is important and we need to do what we can to make sure that we can get our rest. What interferes with your sleep? What helps you to sleep better?