There’s something magical about sleep. Get enough of it, and your days seem lighter, even better. Even one night of deprivation, however, can quickly turn any situation sour fast. It’s not just about your mood and how it affects your school, work, or even your relationships. You put your overall health on the line when you neglect your body’s need for a good night’s rest. Sleep deprivation has been known to put you at higher risk of heart disease and obesity, among others.
The unfortunate thing is that there are numerous misconceptions about a lot of people’s difficulty getting proper sleep. This only worsens their restlessness and brings them no closer to get quality Zs. Addressing them puts you on the right track in your pursuit of great mornings and even better health.
Your Bed Preferences Are Wrong
This is what a lot of advertisers want you to believe. They’ll even show you scientific findings of why one kind of mattress is superior to the rest. Since they know better, you should trust them when they say their product is the key to better nights. If you’ve given in to these marketing ploys and found yourself unable to sleep a wink, rest assured there’s nothing wrong with you. Here’s the harsh reality: the perfect mattress for you certainly depends on your preferences. Unless a doctor prescribes certain types to deal with back issues and other health conditions, you’re free to choose whichever you think is best for you. It might not be the extra firm mattresses or the memory foam people are crazy about but somewhere in-between. The same applies to your pillows and blankets, not only in firmness but also temperature.
Start paying attention to how the material of your pillowcase, bedsheet, blanket, and even your pajamas absorb heat. Some fabrics cause you to heat up, while others help you maintain your ideal temperature. The importance temperature plays in quality rest is so significant that items like cooling mattress pads are available in the market. You can employ the help of these pads and similar gadgets to make your sleep more comfortable regardless of the season.
The Older You Get, the Better You Sleep
Your age has a lot to do with your sleeping patterns. Without diving into the complicated scientific findings that explain this, age basically causes restructuring in your internal workings. This includes your hormones and circadian rhythm, which are both important in getting good rest. Your sleep architecture also experiences a shift that makes it harder to reach the stage of deep sleep. Most of your sleeping hours are spent in the lighter stages, which also explains why you’ve become more sensitive to nighttime noises.
There are also more practical reasons you’ll want to look into that can result from aging.
The many ways your lifestyle changed since you were younger can also be a culprit. Perhaps you’re no longer spending time outdoors or getting enough exercise. The lack of social activities or recreation keeps your energy pent-up, and staying up late entertaining strings of thoughts can lead to insomnia. Believe it or not, insomnia can be a learned behavior.
Your Food Consumption Has Nothing to Do with It
People’s lifestyle is often the biggest culprit to sleep deprivation. It’s not easy to acknowledge this, and others even believe that the food they eat is supposed to help them sleep better. Alcohol is one popular go-to drink that receives this kind of reputation. And while it can put you to sleep faster, it doesn’t promise a disruption-free rest. Most of the time, it only causes you to wake up several times at night to go to the toilet. Drunken episodes can even find you asleep on hard surfaces and in terrible positions, guaranteeing body ache in the morning. The same goes for your caffeine consumption. Sodas, teas, and coffees are terrible for your brain and body when it’s craving rest. The chemicals in these drinks force you awake and also interrupt sleep because they leave you dehydrated.
That old piece of wisdom about not eating before you sleep? It’s because doing so caused heartburn, and the discomfort will likely keep you up at night.
A Remedy Is at Hand
Sleep problems are so common that you can easily find experts to help you address your issues. Educate yourself about the other misconceptions that plague your attempts to improve your sleep and make the necessary lifestyle changes. Oftentimes, the solution to restless nights is more practical than you might expect.
