Alaska Sleep Education Center

Top Things Preventing You From Getting Sleep

For some people, staying asleep is a problem; but for others, it’s getting there that’s the issue. There are so many factors that affect the quality of sleep so in the morning when you wake up you feel much less rested. 

Knowing what those factors are can help you to address them, reset your circadian rhythm and finally feel rested after a night of sleep. Insufficient sleep can really mess with your head, it can make you feel stressed and anxious and it can make you feel less in control of your time. Insufficient sleep caused by an unsynced circadian rhythm can really wreak havoc on your mental health. It can also seriously dampen your quality of life. You can buy Delta 9 Products And start falling asleep with their help, but being familiar with the factors that affect your sleep hygiene is the first step. In this article, we’re going to cover some of the things that affect your sleep and give you some tips to make bedtime easy.

  • Consider how much screen time you have. You already know that too much screen time Anita issues with concentration, but did you know that it can also lead to issues with your sleep? Mobile devices are so accessible so it’s very easy to fall asleep holding onto your phone after scrolling through Facebook mindlessly for three hours. There is data to show that there are some children who own at least three gadgets and then we wonder why they don’t sleep at night. It’s worth noting that those devices can severely cut sleep time, especially if you are checking your phone right up to the moment you close your eyes. Sleep deprivation that is caused by far too much exposure to blue light from your smartphone is going to be damaging for your sleep health. When your brain detects the presence of blue light, it considers it to be daytime which inhibits the production of melatonin, which is the enzyme that helps your body to go to sleep. It’s not always possible to avoid devices entirely but if you reduce the time that you use them, and switch your phone over to night mode, you’ll be able to fall asleep much easier. Try letting go of screen time for at least an hour before bed and see how you feel.
  • Do you enjoy a glass of wine? After a few rounds of drinks, it’s quite easy to get sleepy and dizzy. Alcohol that makes you inebriated can make it easy for you to fall asleep. Poor sleep can stop you from concentrating throughout the day and it could lead to horrible headaches. Daytime sleepiness and hangovers are no fun. It’s fine to enjoy a glass of wine but it’s so important for you to limit your alcohol consumption. The reason for this is because of the detriment that it causes to your sleep patterns. Always drink moderately and always make sure that you rehydrate. For every alcoholic drink, match it with a glass of water.
  • Do you travel often? If you are flying here, there, and everywhere for work or for pleasure, you might find that your circadian rhythm is knocked out of programming. Jet lag occurs when people cross different time zones and people are programmed to sleep based on the time of day. If you live on one side of the world and you sleep during the daytime on another side of the world, your body will want to keep that pattern. It’s very difficult to maintain a healthy sleep when you are flying thousands of feet above sea level. When the sunshine is out our body associates that with wakefulness, soaking up the vitamin D. In the late evening, our brains are talking to our bodies and telling us to go to sleep. If you are traveling often and jumping between time zones, your circadian rhythm needs to try and catch up. And that’s where jet lag comes in.
  • Do you work the night shift? Night shift workers are doing something amazing by helping other people when they should be asleep. But workers doing the night shift are highly susceptible to sleeping disorders. You have to reverse your body clock entirely and go to bed during the daytime which can be very difficult when you’re working the night shift. It makes it very difficult to maintain that circadian rhythm if you are awake when your body wants to be asleep. This always leads to sleep loss because trying to get back to sleep in the middle of the day when there are noise and light distractions is not easy.
  • You are snoring. If you have sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder that messes with your sleep and threatens your health, you may be snoring or sleeping with your mouth open during the night. When this happens, you might deal with pauses in breathing as you sleep. Healthcare experts believe that snoring can be linked to severe issues such as obesity and cardiovascular problems. Both of those issues are linked to poor sleep. Interruptions to your sleep during the night can really affect the quality that you are getting, meaning that you feel tired no matter the time of day and all the time at night. Instead of shortening your life, speak to your doctor and see whether or not you can use a CPAP machine to help to assist your breathing. It will allow for much better sleep and make you feel better about yourself, too.

Image source: Pexels

  • You are really enjoying the caffeine. If you want to sleep well, you need to stop the caffeine at least an hour before bedtime if not longer. Caffeine is an effective pick-me-up because it’s packed with energy. It makes it very challenging to create those sleeping habits that you need to be healthy to maintain if you are drinking too much caffeine throughout the day. Consuming caffeinated beverages can really disrupt your sleep patterns, and it’s so much more challenging to sleep when you are restless. You want the brain to be perked up on coffee, but it’s not going to help you if you drink coffee at dinnertime.
  • You are super reliant on those sleeping pills. Sleep Medicine is designed to help you sleep, but it’s also difficult to maintain that because those who are using sleep pills are prone to abusing them. While the pills are there to help you sleep, you should try to limit their use of them so that you don’t depend on them to fall asleep. Your body and your brain are able to fall asleep easily, you just have to help them out.
  • You love to nap. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a nap? The thing is, those naps of yours could be detrimental to your sleep. Sleepiness is expected in the middle of the day because we are up early and we’re working hard, but taking naps in the early afternoon for a few hours has put a stop to your evening sleep. There are plenty of health benefits to a good nap, but having it too late for too long is a problem. If you reach that deep sleep stage in a nap, your body will assume that it’s your nighttime sleep and will really throw off your sleep, wake cycle. If you limit nap time during the day, or you limit the time them down to half an hour, keeping them at least four hours away from your bedtime or more, you will be in much better luck with a good nap.
  • Your environment is the problem. Where you sleep is as important as how you sleep. For example, if you are in a bedroom it is loud with color and noise it’s not going to help you. You need your bedroom to be quiet, calm, and warm. But not too warm that you’re too hot. The right temperature makes for the right environment so don’t skip out on this one because if you don’t have the right environment you are not going to get the night’s sleep that you want.
  • You are stressed. Stress is going to prevent you from sleeping as well as you could be. When your mind is racing or your body is tense because of the stress you are dealing with, you’re going to find yourself feeling more upset and shaky than usual. You need to ensure that you are working hard to get rid of that stress whether that be by having a warm bath, or by ensuring that you are getting therapy. Don’t allow stress to interrupt your sleep to the point it’s also interrupting your life. All that will do is put you in a bad position.
Subscribe to our Blog
Alaska Sleep Education Center Email Subscription*
Previous slide
Next slide
Alaska Sleep Clinic's Blog

Our weekly updated blog aims to provide you with answers and information to all of your sleeping questions.

Brent Fisher, MBA, FACHE, FACMPE
President and Chief Executive Officer

“Alaska Sleep Clinic has a history of providing the most comprehensive sleep medicine services in the state of Alaska. Its potential has only begun. I am here to take these high-quality, comprehensive services to all Alaskans.”

Experience

Brent Fisher has held leadership positions spanning a wide variety of complex and start-up organizations: manufacturing (pharmaceutical & medical device), software development, hospitals (academic and community), medical groups, consulting, hospice, military, engineered devices, engineered plastics, and private equity.

Publications and Organizations

His writings have been published in various magazines, trade journals, and medical journals, including the Physician Executive Journal, Healthcare Executive, Modern Healthcare, Group Practice Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, and Journal of Healthcare Management (Best Article Award).

He has served on the Board of Directors of professional associations, civic organizations, and businesses.

Hobbies and Activities

Brent enjoys being with his family, serving in the community, hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting.