10 Ways to Get a Bad Sleep

Amy Taylor September 20, 2013

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Sleep – we all need it. A large body of research tells us that quality sleep provides a host of health benefits, from making us feel refreshed in the morning to lowering our risk of certain diseases, such as cancer, heart disease and obesity.

Unfortunately, many of us don’t get enough quality sleep. Whilst the presence of a sleeping disorder or a different illness could be causing sleepless nights to some, for others poor sleep often results from unhealthy habits. So if you’re looking to get a bad sleep, feel lethargic, irritable and anxious the next day, and make yourself vulnerable to chronic health problems, here are the things you should do: 

Eat a large meal or drink lots of fluid before going to bed. What could be more irritating way to disrupt your sleep than having a full bladder or stomach? Drinking plenty of fluids (even water) before bedtime makes you wake you up several times during the night to urinate, whilst eating a large meal can trigger heartburn and makes sleeping less comfortable.

Sleep somewhere too cold, too warm, or too noisy. You really don’t expect to fall asleep when it’s very bright, very cold, or very warm. Even subtle variations make it hard to get a few winks.

Sweat till you drop. Exercise is an activity vital to health and well-being. But if you do it three hours before bedtime, you’re drifting away from quality sleep. When you exercise, your temperature rises, making dozing off more difficult.

Keep the TV on or browse the internet first. An American study, conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, has shown that using electronic devices, particularly those that emit blue light, makes it hard for people to fall asleep easier. Such kind of light was said to affect melatonin production – the hormone that regulates the body’s circadian rhythm.

Set up a home theatre in your bedroom. Filling your room with televisions, gaming systems, stereos, computers, laptops and the like can produce a plethora of stimulations that will surely disrupt your sleeping patterns. Another thing, using these things before going to sleep will prompt your brain to be active, when it should be relaxed, drowsy and ready to take a rest.

Do some paperwork. Stress is a major enemy of sleep. So if you want to ruin your sleep, take your office work to your bedroom. This prompts your brain to be active as well, which is the exact opposite of what you want to happen when trying to sleep.

Argue with someone. You’ve probably heard of this before – Don’t go to bed angry. Researchers at University of Massachusetts Amherst found that sleeping directly after a fight or traumatic experience preserves your emotions until you wake up. Another thing, the human body tends to remain active and less likely to fall asleep during dangerous situations as a defence mechanism. So after an exhausting fight, falling asleep becomes extra difficult.

Smoke, drink beer, or have a cup of coffee. Some people think that drinking alcohol can induce them to fall asleep. But this is not helpful. Yes, alcohol can make you feel drowsy, but it fragments the stages of sleep and makes it more disrupted. Meanwhile, caffeinated foods and beverages like coffee, chocolate, tea or fizzy drink work as stimulants, so they keep your brain active. Furthermore, the nicotine in cigarettes can ruin your ability to doze off easily and the withdrawal cycle during sleep can wake you up.

Don’t bother to create a fixed bedtime schedule. If you slept at 10pm last night, tonight sleep at 11. Then tomorrow, wait until its 1am before you hop to bed. The human body gets easily attuned to habits, even when it comes to sleeping. So if you sleep and get up at different times of the day, your body will have no sense of when it is supposed to feel tired and sleepy.

Read an engrossing novel. You probably heard that reading is good way to fall asleep. Yes it’s true. But if you read a very interesting book, a thriller novel for example, you can lose track of time and before you know it, it’s already 2 or 3 in the morning!

Sleep is as important as nutrition and exercise, so make sure you’re getting your 8-hour slumber every night. Avoiding these unhealthy bedtime habits can help you achieve quality sleep.