5 Common Sleep Mistakes
You Don’t Know You’re Making,
And How To Avoid Them
Do you often find yourself having trouble sleeping? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many of us are making mistakes that can damage our sleep patterns.
Here are 5 of the most common ones, and how to avoid them:
1. Using Your Phone Before Bed
We’re all guilty of using our mobile phones, tablets or laptops before jumping into bed… In actual fact, most of us can’t help but check our e-mails, news feed or play our favourite video on YouTube just one more time! You may think it’s harmless, but the harsh reality of it is that you could be restricting your chances of falling asleep peacefully. These gadgets emit blue light, which is believed to delay the production of the sleep-inducing hormone Melatonin.
Solution:
Set yourself a rule that ensures you won’t use any of your devices for at least 30 minutes before you get into bed. You may even go as far as confiscating them from the bedroom all together. Before you make the age-old excuse ‘but my phone is my alarm…’ buy yourself a good-old bedside alarm clock, you won’t regret it!
2. Having A Little Tipple
Drinking alcohol before bed is said to dramatically reduce REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. This type of sleep is associated with deep dreaming, and is a crucial part of a healthy sleep cycle. Disruptions in this type of sleep can cause drowsiness during the day.
Solution:
Next time you’re considering diving into your luxurious wrought
iron bed with a glass of your favourite wine, spare a thought for your sleep pattern. Ditch the alcohol and opt for a glass of water in case you need a sip before you nod off.
iron bed with a glass of your favourite wine, spare a thought for your sleep pattern. Ditch the alcohol and opt for a glass of water in case you need a sip before you nod off.
Solution:
If you can, record your favourite TV show or watch it on catch-up the next day at a more suitable time. Try to keep televisions out of the bedroom and if you have difficulty falling asleep yourself, why not listen to the radio, or read a book instead?
3. Leaving The Television On
For some of us, watching TV in bed is the norm. Whatever the reason for this, whether it’s because you’re scared of the dark, or simply because you’re too tired to watch your favourite TV show downstairs out of fear you may fall asleep; falling asleep with the TV on is not a good idea. It encourages you to stay up later, harming the sleep cycle and thus reducing the quality of sleep you get when you eventually go off.
4. Sleeping With Pets
As lovely as the idea of sleeping with your pet is, the harsh reality is that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. You imagine it to be all fluffy cuddles and sweet dreams, when in actual fact its more of a fight for the covers than sharing the bed with your partner! Sleeping with your pet is sure to mess up your sleep cycle, so we would strongly advise against it.
Solution:
Keep your pet in a separate room, ideally downstairs where you won’t be able to hear them wriggling and fussing during the night. Training your pet to sleep downstairs in their own bed can be a challenge, but persevere for a few days, you won’t regret it.
5. Hitting The Snooze Button
As tempting as it is to stay in bed for that extra ten minutes on a morning, pressing the snooze button (especially more than once) can cause fragmented sleep, making it low quality. By snoozing, you’ll also start a new sleep cycle that your body wont’ be able to finish, causing fatigue during the rest of the day.
Solution:
Try setting your alarm for when you really need to get up, and come up with a morning routine that you look forward to. Try to keep it consistent and set your alarm for the same time each morning. The regularity may help you to wake up without an alarm in the future!