Are You Getting Enough Sleep? Here’s What Might Be Keeping You Awake.

You find yourself tossing and turning throughout the night. You’re awake far too early and can’t get yourself to fade into a slumber when you finally shut your eyes. Getting enough sleep is crucial to maintaining your physical and mental health.

Our bodies heal physical ailments both internally and externally while we sleep through proper REM cycles. Sleeping also boosts our metabolism and even improves our brain plasticity. This means our minds are able to focus, process information, and handle stress or anxiety significantly better. The benefits seem to be endless.

Don’t worry. There are several things you can do to change your lifestyle to improve the quality and quantity of your rest. Take a look at a few reasons why you might not be sleeping through the night.

Too Much Screen Time Before Bed

How often have you found yourself scrolling in bed once you’ve turned off the lights? Maybe you’re sifting through your social media feed or checking last-minute emails to see what you have on your plate for the next day. Looking at a screen is one of the biggest inhibitors of sleep because it stimulates the brain with too much activity.

The blue screen from your phone also suppresses melatonin which is what makes you feel tired in the first place. Putting your phone away thirty minutes before shutting your eyes is enough time to allow you to have a good night’s sleep.

Alcohol Inhibits a Full Night’s Rest

Not all sleep is the same. While a glass of wine or one beer can start to make you feel drowsy, too much can disrupt your sleep cycles altogether. The REM cycle of your sleep is when you find yourself deep into rest and is typically when you dream. An excess of alcohol interferes with this important cycle of rest your body needs to heal and rejuvenate itself.

Your Bed Isn’t Big Enough for Two or Three

This might seem like an obvious issue when it comes to sleep. Maybe you share your bed with your partner, a pet, a child, or all of the above. Sleeping alone means you don’t have to listen to the sounds of snores or get swift kicks to the ribs at night. It might be worth investing in a larger bed if you don’t have the intention nor ability to sleep alone.

Stress Keeps Us Up at Night

You might be one of the lucky ones who can close their eyes and instantly fall to sleep. But if you’re one of the many people who have a mind that likes to wander, you may also be susceptible to a lot of stress. While stress may be a mental inhibitor, it can also do tremendous damage to our physical body. Doing a slow yoga flow or meditation before bed can greatly improve your mind’s ability to calm down before your head hits the pillow.

Chill Out on the Caffeine Earlier

Caffeine doesn’t just apply to a cup of coffee. Caffeine in the form of soda or alcohol also constitutes a means of not being able to sleep throughout the night. The truth is that half of the caffeine you ingest can stay within your system for three to five extra hours. 

Having a cup of coffee or your favorite caffeinated beverage late in the afternoon or early evening is probably the reason why you may not be able to fall asleep.

Reach Out To a Sleep Therapist

Aside from environmental conditions or self-induced reasons, there could be many other medical, mental, or physical reasons you aren’t sleeping as well. 

If you’ve tried to make several lifestyle changes but still aren’t able to obtain proper sleep, it might be worth meeting with a sleep therapist.

Respiratory issues, such as sleep apnea or COPD, could be behind your lack of rest. A sleep therapist will have taken several sleep courses dedicated to helping others be able to have proper rest and improve the overall quality of their lives. 

They will be able to assess your true reasoning for not sleeping and provide you with professional help.