Cribbing about ‘Why is my sleep schedule so messed up?’ Unable to sleep on time and not waking up fresh? Unable to sleep or stay asleep even if you hit the bed in time? Feeling sluggish and energy less the entire day? And lastly, unable to concentrate on your daily activities because of being sleep deprived?
Maybe, you are doing something wrong which is sabotaging your sleep cycle. Here are five ways how you yourself are sabotaging your sleep schedule.
1. Bedtime Snacking
Certain foods can disrupt your sleep cycle because of which you cannot sleep on time followed by other problems like feeling tired and drowsy throughout the day. Avoid eating sugary, caffeinated foods before you sleep. Studies have shown that eating foods that are low in fibre and high in saturated fats can lead to sleep disorders. Thus, keep yourself from eating such foods however much your night cravings arouse. Instead, you can eat foods like walnuts, avocado, yoghurt, and chia seeds at night which contain healthy fats. Refrain from eating anything two hours before your bedtime as it might ignite acid reflux situations.
Also read: Why Old People Sleep Less: Expert Explains The Science Behind It
2. Long Naps In Day Time
While you may think that taking a nap during the day might help you catch up on the lost sleep, I am sorry to break it to you but it can cause more harm than good. Napping for 30 minutes during day time is advisable. If you sleep more than that, you might fall into deep sleep which can make it harder to wake up and even harder to fall asleep.
3. Exercising In The Evening
Now you would wonder, wasn’t exercising the activity that was supposed to help in improving your sleep quality? Exercise has shown an impact on sleep and has been proven to improve your sleep quality but time matters my friend. A study has found that exercising in the morning or in the afternoon between 1 PM to 4 PM can help you sleep earlier in the evening whereas if you exercise post 7 PM, it can delay your body clock and disrupt your sleep cycle. Hence, skip the evening exercise if possible and switch to exercising in the morning.
Also read: Power of Sleep: Experts Explain How Sleep Enhances Memory Consolidation
4. Smoking
Smoking before bedtime can trigger nicotine cravings in your sleep. That craving might wake you up or your sleep quality might get hampered due to restlessness in sleep. In a study, published by the National Institute of Health, it was found that smoking during the night time is strongly linked with insomnia.
5. Mind Games
Although, you would want to spend your bed time by reading a book but make sure the book does not possess heavy content. Reading mentally or emotionally stimulating books, problem solving, murder mysteries, or suspense thrillers can make your mind work hard and it will create difficulty in sleeping. You should also not indulge into emotionally intense conversations, again it can make it harder for you to drift off to sleep. Instead, you can listen to gentle music or take a warm bath, do little meditative practices which can make you sleep better and improve its quality.
Conclusion
Your body needs at least eight hours of sleep at night. By doing these things, do not mess your sleep schedule up. Create a bedtime routine which is calmer and soothing that will help you sleep faster and better leading only to waking up fresh and energised.