Getting a good night’s sleep should be one of the easiest things for us humans to do. Yet it seems that well over half of the global population struggles to actually get consistent quality sleep. And it is important to note that quality sleep is different from just sleeping for a long time. Quality sleep concerns how effectively your body moves through the different stages of sleep during the night.
Not getting quality sleep will have a significant negative impact on your day to day life. You’ll be fatigued, moody, and irritable. You’ll have a weaker immune system and be more susceptible to gaining weight. Creativity and cognitive function are also impaired by a lack of quality sleep.
So why do so many people find it difficult to get quality sleep these days? Well we have put together a list of the six most common reasons as to why. If you’re someone who has been struggling to sleep. Or you’re finding yourself still exhausted even after sleeping, then it is likely that one of the issues on this list is standing in your way.
1. Diet
What you eat has a huge impact on how well you sleep. If your diet is high in processed and sugary foods, you are going to find that your quality of sleep is reduced. Alcohol and caffeine are also huge roadblocks to quality sleep. Caffeine will disrupt your sleeping schedule. While alcohol can put you to sleep, it will massively reduce the quality of your sleep due to dehydration and irregular waking patterns.
2. Stress And Anxiety
These are two of the leading causes behind insomnia and other sleeping related issues. Our world has become incredibly noisy and stressful over the last few decades. It is estimated that 1 in 4 adults suffer from some form of mental health issue. And amongst those, stress and anxiety are two of the most common.
The strain that these issues put on you will make it much harder to fall asleep. Not only because your mind is racing, but also because your body is likely to be far more tense and struggling to relax. Thus impeding the natural regenerative process that occurs during sleep.
3. Poor Mattress Quality
People underestimate the importance of a good mattress. But if you’re trying to sleep on a low quality mattress, it doesn’t matter what other steps you take, you will have a bad night’s sleep. Your mattress is meant to help maintain your spinal alignment during the night while also helping to regulate your body’s temperature. All of this is alongside it needing to be comfy so that your body can naturally relax. I found that a firm mattress helped a lot in achieving all these parameters effectively. Your mattress should also be long enough that your body comfortably rests atop it. So if you’re a taller person you will need to perhaps invest in a custom mattress.
4. Irregular Sleeping Habits
You may have heard of your circadian rhythm before. It is the body’s internal process that governs when we sleep and wake up. And, by all accounts, we should try to keep it as regular as possible. Which is why if you have an irregular sleep schedule the quality of your sleep is going to be reduced.
This one is relatively easy to fix though. You need to try going to sleep and waking up at the exact same time every day. There is, of course, a small margin for error here of about an hour either side. But keeping a regular sleep schedule will dramatically increase the quality of your sleep.
5. Screen Time
This has very quickly become the main reason as to why so many people are not getting a good night’s sleep. Our society has become addicted to screens. TVs, smartphones, laptops, computers, digital photoframes. Everywhere you look you are bombarded by blue light. And blue light is extremely detrimental to quality sleep as it blocks the production of melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone responsible for helping us sleep. It is released in response to darkness. This is why they recommend you avoid all screens for at least an hour before you plan to sleep.
6. Temperature
When you sleep your body undergoes a natural cooling process. High room temperatures while trying to sleep will impact this and lower the quality of your sleep. The ideal room temperature for sleeping is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. During the summer months you should invest in a fan and keep your windows open. It is important to not wrap up too warm while you sleep during the winter months.
