Being tired is something millions of people experience and complain about every week. Not getting enough quality shut-eye can cause a raft of physical, mental, and emotional issues in our lives.
If you’re frustrated at your lack of rest lately and looking for ways to get the deep sleep you sorely need, it’s vital to understand some common mistakes to avoid in this area.
Mistake: Not Going to Bed at the Same Time
If you want to get into the habit of having quality sleep day after day and week after week, you need to assist yourself by getting into a routine. A mistake many people make, though, is not going to bed at roughly the same time each night, thus not establishing consistency that supports the body clock. Regular sleep hours will help your internal body close in developing an effective sleep-wake cycle that you can rely on. Try to keep to a bedtime that’s roughly the same, whether it’s a weeknight or weekend.
Mistake: A Sleep Environment That’s Not Conducive to Rest
Another common mistake is having a bedroom environment that makes it harder rather than easier to get to and stay asleep. For solid slumber, set up your resting quarters so you can enjoy a dark space and block light out with quality drapes or blinds, etc.
Consider adding double glazing to windows to block out noise, too. Plus, declutter your room and remove any signs of work from it, so you’re not distracted by thoughts of to-do tasks while attempting to sleep. Choose a soothing wall color, too, and ensure you have a comfortable mattress and pillow to rest on every night that supports your body well and suits how you sleep (e.g., side, on your back, on your stomach, etc.).
Also, think about adding heating or cooling options to your room so you can stay temperate and sleep deeply no matter the weather.
Mistake: Using the Wrong Things to Help You Sleep
People often make the mistake, too, of using things to help them sleep that don’t actually provide the benefits they think they do. For example, frequent use of sedatives can work in the short-term but go beyond that, and you will find them becoming increasingly less effective, and you could get addicted to them on top.
The same goes for alcohol. While it’s a downer that can make you sleepy, it disturbs the quality of your rest, which means you get fewer quality hours in REM cycles and feel worse as a result. If you feel like you need some assistance to break through a sleeping wall, it’s better to use supplements such as CBD and melatonin tablets or natural products with lavender or valerian to promote rest.
Mistake: Napping Too Much
If you’ve been struggling to get the amount of deep sleep you require of late and constantly feel tired and lethargic, you’re probably going to be tempted to have one or more naps during the day. However, be wary of this technique, as napping too much can keep you awake at night when you’re meant to be getting proper shut-eye and can interfere with your body clock and natural cycles.
If you must have a nap, keep it short, at 20 minutes or less. The longer your daytime naps, the harder it will be to break bad sleep habits because you’ll be refreshed and wide away at night.
Mistake: Failing to Address Deeper Problems
Much of the time, we struggle to get to sleep or stay asleep because our mind is racing or otherwise not ready to relax and drift off. Many people fail to address the deeper problems that are causing them to be sleep deprived for weeks or even months on end. For example, some have physical or mental health issues like tooth grinding, thyroid disease, atrial fibrillation, depression, anxiety, and more. The sooner you identify what subconscious concerns are affecting your nights, the sooner you can start dealing with them and finding effective ways to move forward.
Some other common mistakes to be aware of include having too much caffeine, especially later in the day, and eating or exercising too close to bedtime. Some people stress so much about not sleeping that it makes it impossible for them to rest, while others don’t give themselves adequate time to unwind and can’t switch off as a result.
Try to identify any mistakes you make in the sleeping arena so you can start correcting them from here on in.
