Do you always feel as though you are exhausted halfway through the day? If this is a regular occurrence for you, then this is a good indicator that you are not sleeping as well as you could be at night. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways for you to find out why you can’t sleep at night.
Before you begin trying to find a fix however, it is wise for you to try and pinpoint the source of the problem. If you want some help doing that, then the only thing that you have to do is take a look below.
Caffeine Intake
Are you a morning person who is continually waking up in the dead of the night? If this is the case, then studies have shown that the amount of caffeine that you consume in the middle of the day could well be to blame. Why is this? Because it can take a lot of time for the caffeine to fully clear out from your system.
On top of this, caffeine blocks adenosine, which is the exact thing that tells your body that you are sleepy. If you want to make sure that you give yourself the best possible chance of sleeping well, then you need to stay clear from tea, cola, coffee and various other caffeinated products. You need to do this after lunch if possible, so you can give yourself the highest chance of being able to sleep at night.
It’s your Environment
Your bedroom needs to be comfortable. Make sure that when bedtime comes around, your room is dark, clean and quiet. Making sure that it is a comfortable temperature is also important. Ensure that you remove anything unnecessary.
This could include work-related items, hobby stuff or even your pets. Studies have shown that 53% of pet owners felt as though their sleep was being disrupted every single night by their pets, and although you may not realize it, it could be having a profound impact on your sleep.
Not Getting Enough Exercise
It’s long been thought that having a consistent exercise routine is linked with good quality sleep. With that being said, you have to remember that you do not want to work yourself into a state of exhaustion.
Ideally, you need to make sure that you are getting a good workout but not pushing yourself too hard. If you can, you need to exercise at least 3-4 hours before your bedtime. If you do this, you should have enough time to come down from your exercise buzz.
Some people think that they feel tired when they work out, and although this may be the case, you have to remember that this is not always the case. Your body may be tired, but this doesn’t mean that your mind is.
You have a Sleep Disorder
There are a lot of disorders that have a huge range of symptoms. Two of them are insomnia and sleepwalking. You may also need to be aware of sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome. Studies have shown that around 18% of people suffer from a teeth-grinding disorder as well.
If this sounds like you, then you need to try and contact your doctor as soon as possible. If you don’t, then you may find that you end up doing some serious damage to your teeth and this is the last thing that you need.
If you can, get a new mattress too. Feel like you’ve tried everything? Try natural rubber as a sleeping surface.
You’re Depressed
Do you feel stressed? Maybe you feel as though you are just constantly tossing and turning. Either way, it is important to know that depression can affect anyone, and it can also disrupt your sleep as well.
What’s surprising is that depression can be a cause of your poor sleeping pattern, but it can also be a symptom as well. Studies have been done on mice and they have found that mice who were exposed to light for more than 24 hours showed more signs of depression than mice who were in a room that had a good dark and light cycle.
It’s Your Partner
Choosing a partner is quite possibly one of the most important life decisions that you could hope to make. You should know that it also impacts the quality of your sleep more than you realize as well. Your spouse’s snoring can easily reduce the quality of sleep that you get. You may also find that you end up getting your sleep reduced by up to 62 minutes every night.
The great news is that it is very easy for you to get your partner an anti-snoring mask and by doing this, you can sleep at night much better while sleeping for much longer.
You’re Doing too Much Activity
Do you feel as though you are getting enough sleep, but that you are still tired? Studies have shown that those who spend hours surfing the web at night or even watching television are far more likely to think that they did not get enough sleep when compared to those who read a book.
Learning how to shut off in the hours before you go to bed will help you to adopt a much better routine and you may also find that it helps you to unwind too. Taking a hot bath or even dimming the lights will also help you out greatly here so be mindful of that if you can.
You’re Overthinking
Do you find that at night, you end up obsessing over a project, an argument that you had with a friend, or anything else similar? If this is the case, then you may not be able to focus on sleeping as much as you could.
When you are trying to sleep, you may find that you have very little control over your thoughts because you are constantly going in and out of the lighter stages of sleep. Even if you think that you’re awake, you might not fully be, and this constant fluctuation could be exhausting you.
A good solution here would be when you are feeling fretful, to go to another part of your home but make sure that you leave your lights off. If you do this, then you may find that the anxious thoughts stop immediately. If you can do this, then you will soon find that you can then go back to bed and get the much-needed sleep you need.
This idea is based on a study that has been around for quite some time and it is known as stimulus control. It stops you from associating your bed with a place of anxiety.
If you want to help yourself even more, then be sure to write down any pressing concerns, along with a good solution for each, before bed. That way you can clear your mind properly.
You Always Sleep In
If you have some late nights followed by snacks, then you may find that your internal clock ends up being thrown. This is caused by the bunch of nerve cells in your brain that help to regulate your body temperature, your appetite and more.
When Sunday finally rolls around, you may find that you are already programmed to stay up past your bedtime and this can leave you feeling like a zombie when Monday hits. Even if you have been up late, make sure that you do not sleep in for more than an hour. If you need to make up for lost sleep then have a half an hour nap, but no more.
Your Bedroom is Cluttered
If you have a cluttered bedroom, then this may be giving you a cluttered mind. This is the last thing that you need, so make sure that you do everything you can to try and avoid this if possible. Give your room a good tidy and also make sure that you are not just dumping piles of clothes everywhere.
If the last thing that you see before you go to bed is all of the chores that you have to do, then this won’t be doing you any favors at all. You may even find that you end up struggling to get things done and this is the last thing that you want. If you want to do something about this, then you need to try and do your bit to keep your room as tidy as possible.
Even think about getting some nice aromatic smells in there too. Scents such as lavender are ideal if you want to unwind, and you would be surprised at how much this could work in your favor when you are trying to sleep and unwind. If you don’t like lavender, then look into what other smells can be used with diffusers.
When you do, you will soon find that it is easier than ever for you to get the best result out of your sleeping routine, and you may even find that you feel more relaxed when your head hits the pillow. Remember it’s the small things that often make the biggest difference.