Sleep difficulties are a common problem for millions of adults. Even if you can get to sleep, you might have trouble staying asleep. Does this sound familiar? You drift off to dreamland, but find yourself wide awake at 3 a.m., or maybe you wake up every few hours throughout the night. Adequate sleep is supposed to leave you feeling refreshed and ready to start your day. But if your sleep is interrupted, you’re likely to feel fatigued and sleepy the next day. So what gives? There are several factors that mayinterfere with getting your zzz’s including the following:
1. Too much caffeine:
You probably already know caffeine is a stimulant and can affect your ability to fall asleep. But it can also lead to poor quality sleep including waking up in the middle of the night. Caffeine has a three to five-hour half-life, which means it takes your body that many hours to get rid of half the caffeine you consumed. The bottom line is you may feel the effects of caffeine several hours after you consume it. Keep in mind, energy drinks, cola, chocolate and certain teas also contain caffeine. Your best bet is to avoid caffeine about six hours before bed.
2. Stress:
Stress and lack of sleep seem to go hand in hand. If you’re stressed, it can be hard to sleep well and may lead to middle of the night insomnia. When you don’t get enough sleep, that can also lead to more stress and it becomes a vicious cycle. According to the American Psychological Association, adults who get less than eight hours of sleep each night report higher levels of stress symptoms than those who sleep longer. Although it can be easier said than done, it’s important to unwind and unplugbefore bed.
3. Sleep environment:
Your sleep environment can contribute to poor sleep. For example, loud noises can jolt you from a sound sleep or light peeking through the shades can wake you. Fortunately, there are ways to make your bedroom more sleep-friendly. Invest in a quality mattress and comfy bedding and consider keeping your bedroom cool, which most people find helps sleep. Make sure your curtains are heavy enough to block out sunlight and use a white noise machine or earplugs to block sounds from outside.
4. An aching back:
Back pain can disrupt sleep and leave you struggling to find a comfortable position. If you have chronic back pain, it’s important to treat the underlying cause. Also, your sleep position can make a big difference in your comfort level. The right position for you may depend on whether your upper or lower back ache. To take the pressure off your back, the Mayo Clinic recommends sleeping on your side with your knees slightly pulled up towards your chest with a pillow between your knees.
5. Hormones:
Your hormones play a role in several functions including sleep. When there is an imbalance or afluctuation, shifting hormones can contribute to sleep disturbances. A woman’s menstrual cycle,pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause often cause hormonal changes that may affect their quality of sleep. For example, decreased estrogen can lead to hot flashes, which wake you up at 2 a.m. You can’t always control your hormones, but you can make your environment conducive for sleep, unwind before bed and stick to the same sleep schedule. If those strategies don’t help, talk with your doctor. Hormonal replacement therapy or additional treatment may be an option.
6. Alcohol:
If you enjoy a cocktail before bedtime, you know alcohol may help you get to sleep. But the bad news is it actually can interfere with your quality of sleep. As the alcohol metabolizes and the effects wear off, it prevents deep sleep, which causes restless sleep throughout the night. Consider limiting alcohol a few hours before you hit the sack.
7. Eating too late:
A light midnight snack may be fine, but a heavy meal too close to bedtime may leave you tossing and turning during the night. Eating large portions before you turn in for the night can lead to indigestionand acid reflux. If you want a snack before bed, keep it light and stay away from spicy and greasyfoods.
just the perfect article that i was looking cause lately i’ve been dealing with a lot of sleep difficulties. it got more to do with the fact that i have to work a full time job and at the same time be a full time student. i don’t know how i’m still able to keep it up but hey i’m motivated to do this college think
I know alot of people have sleep deprivation due to the fact that they work and be a full time student . In order to keep me from sleeping in class I drink coffee because it wakes me up instantly .Sleep deprivation is a bad thing because it ca ruin your day by making you feel cranky.It can also make you feel not hungry.
Interesting article on possible solutions to an issue many people face! The list provided is very informative in explaining how our sleep is affected by factors that may seem minor such as the small amounts of light peaking through the shades.
I was surprised that the author of the article did not mention the adverse affects of using technology late at night, specifically while on your bed. I believe our technology plays a major role in our sleep difficulties, so that should be part of the authors list. Alternatively, I would understand if the author chose not to write about it because it is close to impossible to keep todays generation away from their phones.
In my case, I can say that my problem would be stress. Sometimes I get up the next day feeling, like if I didn’t sleep at all. It’s just crazy how simple stuff, can mess up your next day.
Honestly I can relate to the caffeine intake. Last semester I used to induce so much caffeine into my system that I would be up all night feeling energetic. Or the next day I would feel sluggish and immediately rush to a cup of coffee. I believe when we have bad sleeping habits we should pay attention to all of our intakes. Usually what we have the most is what we should clearly pay attention to its affects.
I think stress is the biggest factor for my lack of sleep. Stress can have a big impact on a person’s health, including insomnia. I think all the factors listed contribute to sleeping difficulties, but I also think that there are other factors like age that have an impact on sleep. Depending on you age there is a certain amount of hours you should sleep. I think that teenagers are not sleeping the required amount of hours and that is causing many teens and young adults to develop insomnia.
I have sleep difficulties I tend to not get enough sleep and then during the day I look for sleep but when I do hit the bed I’m always a wide-awake and full of energy and can’t go to sleep regardless of how tired I felt a few minutes before I think it’s because the fact that I keep About what I’m going to do tomorrow or what I’m going to do for my future the stress is what is causing me to not gain the proper amount of sleep I need so I think this entire blog was pretty interesting for me thank you for sharing
Sleep deprivation is definitely a topic many of us can agree on, its common in this city ‘that never sleeps’. But the negatives rack up so high against it. Although due to situations such as work and study we are not left to much options how much sleep we are granted.
I agree with this completely, I have had back pain and hormones. It was a terrible experience that didn’t allow for focus or concentration. Most of them I have experienced but not as often as the two I have just mentioned.
This is very informative I know may people that suffer form the sleep deprivation and I often just say its stress but after reading i feel like there cause my vary. In my case I would say its eating to much before sleeping I thought that eating before you sleep wouldn’t affect you that mush other then maybe stomach gas I thought I would be fine.
Did you guys know that If you “fall asleep” at lets say 11 pm but you’re still on your phone for another hour getting those last glimpse at instagram posts, snapchats, or whatever the case is; and THEN you fall asleep. Your brain doesn’t fully stop working and gets its rest until an hour later from the time which you stopped using your phone? It sounds very confusing and perhaps thats not the case with everyone on why they can’t sleep, but i thought it was a good idea to put it out there just in case. School and work is the reason I miss out on sleep most of the time.