3 Bedtime Mistakes That Are Keeping You Awake at Night (and How To Avoid Them!)

Ever felt like you were so tired, ready for bed, only to cuddle up with your pillow and… stay wide awake for hours, staring at the ceiling? I know the feeling. The good news is that you can fix that without needing to reach for the medicine cabinet, simply by avoiding these common sleep mistakes that might be preventing you from catching your z’s.

Mistake #1: Hitting the Snooze Button.

Five more minutes…sometimes that’s all you want in the morning. As tempting as it might be to hit that snooze button, it has been proven that those extra 5 or 10 minutes of sleep do not result in extra energy for your day. Hitting the snooze button results in interrupted sleep, which in turn makes you feel even more tired. 

Pro tip: If you can’t muster the strength to get up on your first alarm, try laying on a Spoonk Mat for 10 min before getting up. The acupressure points on your body will be activated by the mat and will help your whole nervous system wake up full of energy to face the day.

Mistake #2: Too Much Going On In Your Bedroom

If your bedroom is not set up to be a relaxing, low-stimulation environment, it will be harder to fall asleep. If you have too much light shining in from the street or from other sources, it can mess with your pineal gland’s production of sleep hormones, because one of the signals the brain looks for to indicate sleep time is darkness. 

Another thing that can mess up your brain’s sleep hormone production is blue light from a television or mobile device. Besides that, these devices offer mental stimulation that should not be associated with your bedroom, making it harder for your brain to slow down at night.

Pro tip: Take inventory of your current sleep conditions. Can you close your blinds or add blackout curtains to make your room darker? Can you leave phones and tablets out of the bedroom and restrict TV time to the living room? Are you using your bedroom for other activities such as working – and if so, can you do that in another room of your house?

Mistake #3 – Caffeine and Sugar Before Bed

Nothing wrong with your morning cup-of-Joe. But if you are drinking coffee or other caffeinated drinks past lunchtime, you may not realize that doing so may be affecting your ability to fall asleep. Caffeine can remain in your body for up to 12h, so make sure to reduce your intake towards the end of the day. 

Sugar is also a stimulant. So if you have to have a late-night snack, steer clear of that box of chocolates, as it can disrupt the sleep chemicals in your brain. Go for a protein-rich snack instead, or skip the late-night snack altogether if you can!

Pro tip: Try eating your last meal not less than 2h before bedtime. Giving your body enough time to digest the food you eat can help you fall asleep faster and reduce the chance that digestion problems will keep you up at night.

Minor adjustments in your daily routine can make a big impact on your ability to fall asleep and get good sleep through the night. Try these simple hacks and let us know how you feel!

Natasha

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