Are tossing and turning and countless hours of trying to fall asleep and finally getting some rest a regular thing for you? If you cannot fall asleep, insomnia is not the sole culprit, believe it or not. In fact, there can be a lot of different contributing factors, including smoking, exercising late at night, too much protein, and exposure to light from electronics.
So, if you want to find out what is disrupting your calm and relaxing sleep at night and how to fix it, continue reading the article below to find it the underlying cause of your problem and how to address it properly so that you can finally reap the benefits of quality sleep, as seen on Forbes.
10 Reasons why You Cannot Fall Asleep
- You still have caffeine in your system
Since the half-life of caffeine is five hours, you still have around a quarter of the first dose of caffeine in your system even hours after you have drunk it. This being said, ensure you avoid drinking coffee late in the night so that you can get a good night’s sleep.
- Smoking
Although a lot of smokers typically associate smoking with relaxation, this is nothing more than a neurochemical trick and nicotine is actually a stimulant. So, smoking prior to bed can impede your efforts to fall asleep and may also cause you to wake up throughout the night.
- Overthinking
Sometimes, people tend to try and resolve issues or unanswered questions when they go to bed and the overthinking keeps them awake for hours. So, if you want to fall asleep easy and fast, a much better solution is to think happier thoughts.
- Eating protein before bed
Since you need a lot of energy to digest protein, if you eat it shortly before bed, it will keep your digestive system working while you are trying to fall asleep, which will in turn keep you awake. Opt for a lighter carbohydrate snack instead.
- You sleep in a very warm temperature
When you sleep, the brain and body need to cool down; however, this may be averted if you sleep in an overly warm room. So, during spring or summer or if you live in warmer climates, having a fan in your room at night will help maintain the coolness and the constant white noise will help you fall asleep easier. Remember, avoid getting too cold; this will also prevent your efforts to fall asleep.
- You sleep in a light room
In ideal conditions, our bedrooms should not have any lights, especially light coming from TVs, computer screens or from smartphones. This is because when our eyes are exposed to light at night, the brain thinks that it is time to wake up and thus, it lowers the melatonin production, the hormone associated with sleep and low body temperature.
- Working out late at night
If you tend to exercise three hours before getting to bed, you will overstimulate your metabolic rate and elevate the heart rate which will lead to restlessness and constant waking up at night. Instead, work out in the morning or late afternoon to prevent sleeplessness.
- Overindulging in alcohol too late
Even though you may think that alcohol causes sleep, it actually impedes the REM sleep and makes you more fatigued the following day. And, you may feel sleepy after drinking it, but this is only a short-term effect.
- Clockwatching
Looking at your clock when you wake up at night should be avoided. Simply turn around and avoid looking at it. Habitual clockwatching is actually training the circadian rhythms improperly and you may soon find yourself waking up at 4:15 every night.
- Getting up and watching TV until you feel sleepy
This is never a good idea if you tend to get a good night’s sleep. Watching TV will enhance your brain activity, which is unnecessary if you want to fall asleep calmly and lightly. And, the light coming from the TV is a signal for the brain to actually wake up, which will further impede your sleep efforts.
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