With professionals and sleep experts constantly telling us that we have to have at least eight hours sleep a night to function as a normal human being, most of us feel under pressure to get into bed by 10 pm and be visiting dreamworld within half an hour. Sometimes, it’s just not possible. No matter how many times you try and create the perfect human burrito out of your body and your comforter, nothing gets you to sleep – and you eventually run off a few hours shut eye. It’s not cool. Yet, if you want to make real changes in your sleeping pattern, you need to know why you aren’t getting enough sleep in the first place.
You don’t take a techno-break
Nope, this doesn’t involve a late-night dance to techno-music – although that might tire you out if you dance hard enough. Instead, we’re talking about the technology in our lives. Because most of us are attached to our phones, iPads, laptops and our televisions, we’re constantly bombarding our body with artificial light that stimulates our brain. Top tip: stimulating your brain before you want to go to sleep is not a good idea! These pieces of technology don’t allow our brain to wind-down, which makes it harder for us to fall asleep.
You need to upgrade your throne
A king or queen is only as good as their throne, and if your mattress is old and lumpy, it could drastically reduce your chances of having a good night’s sleep. In fact, old mattresses are a breeding ground for dust, mites, and even pointy springs. This can make your sleeping position incredibly uncomfortable. It’s important to upgrade your mattress when it reaches the end of its life (which can normally be found on the label) and change your pillows every year or so.
You ate too late
Although we all hate to think about the weird and wonderful things that go on inside our bodies, it’s important to think about digestion before you go to bed. Eating too late in the evening can disrupt your bodies normal rhythm when it comes to digestion, and this can stop you from falling into a peaceful slumber. If you can, eat earlier in the evening. If you really can’t eat any earlier, try to eat a little less for your dinner to aid easy digestion.
You’re taking too many naps
Let’s be honest, we all love a good nap – and if we could take five naps in the place of one long sleep we totally would do. However, naps can also disrupt your sleeping pattern. While taking naps at the right time and for the right amount of time can be beneficial to your day, many of us tend to oversleep when it comes to our naps and end up feeling groggy and disgusting afterward. If you cut out your nap from your daily life, your body will feel much more tired, which should mean that you can fall asleep easier and for longer. What could be better than that?
Your room just isn’t working
There’s nothing worse than settling down for a good ol’ sleep to see the outside street lights float through your drapes, the noise of the world makes its way into your room, and your pets nibbling away at your comforter. Although of these outside noises and distractions will stop your brain from switching off – which will ultimately stop yourself from falling asleep. To combat this, make sure you turn your bedroom into a sanctuary with blackout blinds, soundproofing, and absolutely no pets if you can!
Are you struggling to sleep? Well, understanding why you aren’t getting enough sleep is the first step to rectifying this problem and getting enough Z’s in your life.
