7 Sleep Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making and How to Fix Them

( sleep mistakes YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE MAKING - and how to fix them Are you having trouble sleeping? You're not alone. 47% of people say stress or worry keeps them awake at night. Despite this, 22% 49% of people sleep poorly most nights. of people have never taken steps to help them sleep. Counting sheep and listening to lullabies can only get you so far. Here are some common bedtime mistakes you might not even know you're making - and how to avoid them. Common sleep mistakes Consider your pre-sleep routine: are you guilty of any of these bad habits? 1. Caffeinated midnight snacking Caffeine is a stimulant and in moderate doses can block sleep neurotransmitters causing insomnia. Refined sugars can stress the organs in charge of hormone regulation - causing you to wake in the night as your levels fluctuate. Solution: Snack on foods that contain tryptophan. This amino acid is needed by the body to produce serotonin, which in turn makes melatonin - a hormone that helps control your sleep cycles. Foods that are high in tryptophan include yoghurt, milk, banana, eggs and turkey. 2. Catching up on sleep It's a common misconception about sleep debt: you accumulate lost hours of sleep that you can pay back later on, and your body will be fine. Solution: Sleep debt isn't a straight balance. Most people only usually need two or three good nights' sleep to get back to normal after serious sleep deprivation. 3. Sleeping with pets According to research, 63% of pet owners who shared their bed or bedroom with their pet experienced poor sleep quality. Solution: Keep your pets in a different room. If they're exceptionally noisy, consult your vet to rule out any medical problems - they might be making sleep mistakes themselves! 4. Hitting the snooze button Any extra sleep you get is fragmented, making it low quality. You also prepare the body for a new sleep cycle that you won't have time to finish, resulting in fatigue throughout the day. Solution: Set your alarm for when you actually need to get up. Try to set it for the same time every day. This regularity will hopefully mean you should wake up without the need for an alarm. 08 00 5. Having a nightcap Though alcohol does allow healthy people to fall asleep quicker, it reduces REM sleep - the phase of sleep associated with deep dreaming. Disruptions in REM sleep may cause daytime drowsiness. Solution: Avoid drinking alcohol just before you go to bed. On average, it takes an hour for the body Instead, opt for herbal teas, such as camomile, which have a sedative effect. process one unit of alcohol. 6. Using technology before bed 78% of people use a smartphone, tablet or laptop before going to bed. However, these gadgets emit blue light, which is said to delay the production of melatonin, the sleep inducing-hormone. Solution: Give yourself a tech curfew. And move your electronic devices out of the bedroom altogether. 7. Leaving the TV on 38% of people watch TV to wind down for sleep. However, watching TV before bedtime encourages you to stay up later, harming the sleep cycle and leading to poor quality sleep. Solution: Keep TVs out of the bedroom. Alternatively, listen to the radio to help yourself fall asleep. With a few changes to your bedtime routine, you'll hopefully be dozing off in no time. Sweet dreams! Sleep: Matters THE S CLUB POWERED BY Dreams Sources dreams.co.uk/sleepmattersclub/7-sleeping-mistakes-infographic ce O O This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License - www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0