We all want a good night’s sleep, but there are a lot of things we do on a day-to-day basis that could be throwing us off at night. So if you want a good night’s sleep, steer clear of these mistakes:
- You smoke. Of course smoking is bad for you in general, but it especially affects sleep. Nicotene is a stimulant, not a depressant. So even if you smoke during the day to calm down, it has the opposite effect on your sleep schedule. A recent study showed that sleeping time fell 1.2 minutes for each cigarette smoked.
- Your eating schedule is inconsistent and close to your bedtime. Eating before you go to bed means that you go to sleep while your body is still digesting. Your body can get used to that if you have a late dinner every day, but if not, you’re setting yourself up for sleep failure.
- You’re on your phone—or even have it near you. We’ve all heard that being on your phone can make you sleep worse, since the light from the screen is built to keep you awake, but if any of your devices put off a charging light, that will be a problem too. Electronic blue lights are awful for your circadian rhythm, so if you have a charger that lights up, you’re interrupting your sleep. Try charging your devices at work, or when you wake up in the morning. ##MN_RESP##
- You have that after-dinner coffee. Obviously this is going to disrupt your sleeping patterns, because the caffeine will kepe you up way longer than you want to be. Drinking coffee up to six hours before bedtime reduces sleeping time by over an hour, so stay away from that cup of joe after 5 PM.
If you stay away from these habits, you make it easier for yourself to get a better night's sleep. And who doesn't want that?
