Can’t Sleep? Discover 11 Tips for Improving Your Sleep Hygiene

Key Takeaways

• Persistent sleep disturbances can negatively affect your health, with the most common issues including hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes mellitus.
• There are different reasons why you may have difficulties with falling or staying asleep—including caffeine consumption, chronic stress, and sleep apnoea, among others.
• Adopting a healthier lifestyle, such as exercising regularly, limiting caffeine intake, and maintaining a regular sleep schedule, is important for improving your sleep quality.
• If your issue remains unresolved, talking with a sleep coach is recommended. They can identify unhealthy sleep habits and provide personalised strategies for improvement.
  

Being unable to fall or stay asleep for once in a while happens to all of us. It only becomes an issue when it has turned into a pattern, or when you’re struggling to sleep almost every night.

There are several impacts that sleep disturbances can bring to your health. Issues like increased blood pressure, inflammation, and disrupted hormonal balance are common with sleep deprivation, putting your physical and emotional well-being at risk. 

The good news is, you can improve your sleep hygiene through lifestyle changes. Regular exercise, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, and a consistent sleep schedule are among the positive changes you can make to sleep better.

Wonder how you can improve your sleep hygiene and get the nighttime rest you need? Discover the tips right here!

Why Can’t I Sleep Even When I’m Exhausted?

Feeling exhausted yet unable to sleep must be frustrating. However, this issue isn’t permanent. There are effective ways to solve sleep disturbances, and understanding the possible causes is the first step toward reclaiming your restful nights.

Possible Causes of Sleep Disturbances

There are numerous possible causes of sleep disturbances. Yours may be caused by one or a combination of factors, which we have listed in the following:

1. Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol Consumption

Stimulants like caffeine and nicotine work by triggering alertness and reducing sleepiness. Consuming them too close to bedtime often makes you unable to fall asleep, as they disrupt your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.

Additionally, alcohol presents the same contribution to disrupting sleep patterns. Unfortunately, some individuals use it to induce sleepiness, without realising its risk of causing physical dependence. Its sedative effects may also wear off during the night, leading to mid-sleep awakenings.

2. Chronic Stress

Being in a state of chronic stress can keep you awake past bedtime. You may be inclined to ruminate over many aspects of your life, such as work, responsibilities, and personal problems, which prevent you from falling asleep.

Chronic stress also triggers your body to release cortisol hormones. With high cortisol levels, your body is prompted to remain alert, leading to a vicious cycle of troubled sleep patterns.

3. Medical Conditions

Having medical conditions can disrupt your healthy sleep patterns. Some can cause physical discomfort that makes falling or staying asleep challenging. Let’s take diabetes as an example. Diabetic individuals may experience physical sensations like tingling, burning, or sharp pains, which can be irritating as they’re trying to fall asleep.

And it’s not limited to the physical ones. Mental health conditions like anxiety or depressive disorders can also alter the body’s internal clock, leading to disturbed nighttime sleep. Managing them, thus, becomes as essential as addressing physical ones when it comes to restoring healthy sleep.

4. Sleep Apnoea

There are two types of sleep apnoea: one that is due to a blockage in the airway (obstructive sleep apnoea), and the other caused by a problem with the brain’s signals that control breathing (central sleep apnoea).

Both similarly present disruption to the sleep quality by causing breathing difficulties. People with this condition often wake up frequently, gasping for air as their breathing stops and starts throughout the night.

5. Lack of Exercise

Having an inactive lifestyle, characterised by little to no exercise, poses a risk of an increased sleep problem. With a lack of exercise, your body is deprived of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles.

Aside from disrupting melatonin production, a sedentary lifestyle can also raise stress levels and lower your mood. Elevated stress and low mood are often linked to overactive thoughts, restlessness, and difficulty relaxing, all can interfere with falling and staying asleep at night.

6. Poor Sleep Environment

Poor sleep environments, such as loud noises, uncomfortable temperature, and too many lights, can make it difficult for you to fall asleep. These conditions can disrupt your body’s ability to relax and signal that it’s time to rest, leaving you wide awake or experiencing poor sleep quality, only to feel fatigued the next day.

7. Excessive Screen Time

Scrolling social media can be tempting, especially before bedtime. However, no matter how harmless or relaxing it may seem, this habit can take a toll on your healthy sleep patterns.

There are different ways excessive screen time can disrupt your sleep quality. The most prominent issue is that it can lead to overstimulation, triggering increased alertness and making it difficult to fall asleep.

Another way it affects sleep is through the emission of blue light from screens, which can inhibit melatonin production. Your body needs a sufficient amount of melatonin to signal the brain that it’s time to rest and finally drift off to sleep.

8. Eating Close to Bedtime

Consuming meals too close to bedtime, or around 2 – 3 hours before sleep, can negatively affect your ability to fall asleep. As your body is still actively digesting food, your core temperature may increase and cause discomfort like bloating or acid reflux.

These physical responses can interfere with your body’s natural wind-down process. You may find it difficult to relax, leading to prolonged wakefulness and delayed sleep onset.

11 Tips for Improving Sleep Hygiene

Knowing the possible causes for sleep disturbances surely helps you understand what could be the reason behind your issue. However, to actually address it and reclaim your restful nights, your proactive actions are much needed. Follow these tips to get started:

1. Maintain a Consistent Sleep Schedule

Having a consistent sleep schedule helps regulate the circadian rhythm, which signals your brain when it’s time to sleep and wake up.

While sticking to a regular bedtime schedule can be challenging at first, it can help train your body and brain to anticipate sleep at the same time each night. Gradually, you may experience fewer struggles to fall asleep at night.

2. If Possible, Reserve Your Bedroom for Rest Only

If you’re struggling with difficulties falling asleep, it’s recommended that you separate activities like working or watching television in a different room. Reserving your bedroom only for rest helps train your brain to associate it with sleep and relaxation, thus it becomes easier for you to wind down and rest.

3. Exercise Regularly During the Day

There are a lot of benefits from getting regular exercise for your sleep quality. Physical activities, such as cardio and weight training, can help you sleep better in a variety of ways, including:

• Releasing melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep-wake cycles.
• Reducing stress, which is one of the leading causes of sleeping disturbances.
• Improving mood to minimise worries that keep you awake at night.

While exercise has a positive impact on healthy sleep patterns, it’s generally recommended to limit it to daytime. Exercising earlier in the day helps regulate your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle by promoting alertness during the day and inducing sleepiness close to your bedtime schedule.

4. Practise Mindful Activities

Engaging in mindful activities such as yoga, journaling, and gardening allows your brain to relax as it releases dopamine (the pleasure hormone), serotonin (the happy hormone), and GABA (the calmness hormone).

With more balanced hormones in your brain, you may experience decreased stress levels, which have a positive association with improved sleep quality—where you have an easier time falling and staying asleep throughout the night.

5. Limit Caffeine and Alcohol Consumption

Caffeine is a stimulant that increases your alertness. Consuming it too late in the day can make it difficult for you to fall asleep, as your mind is forced to remain active.

Due to its effect, it’s best that you limit its consumption at least 8 hours before bedtime. For example, if you usually sleep at 11 PM, you should avoid drinking coffee after 3 PM.

On the other hand, alcohol has sedative effects that may wear off a few hours after consumption. Drinking it before sleep can lead to frequent awakenings and decreased sleep quality.

6. Quit Smoking

Some individuals turn to tobacco for stress release. However, when consumed by those with persistent sleeping difficulties, tobacco presents a greater risk of worsening the problem.

While it may give short-term relaxation, tobacco contains nicotine that acts as a stimulant. Frequent use of it can lead to an overactive brain and cravings that can cause awakenings and cravings midsleep.

If you’re currently struggling with tobacco addiction, working with a therapist or psychiatrist can help you find and develop healthier coping mechanisms.

7. Avoid Meals Close to Bedtime

Eating a large meal and going straight to bed can cause discomfort such as bloating, gas, and indigestion, making it difficult to fall asleep.

This is why it’s recommended to eat your dinner early. For instance, if you go to bed at 11 PM, your last meal should be at 7 PM.

8. Avoid Drinking Water Right Before Bed

While water provides hydration that is beneficial for your health, drinking a glass of water too close to your bedtime can lead to sleep disturbances. 

You may wake up at night for bathroom trips and experience difficulty falling back asleep. To minimise disruptions, try to stay hydrated throughout the day and reduce fluid intake an hour before bed.

9. Avoid Afternoon Naps

Afternoon naps, especially when taken too late in the day, can disrupt your natural sleep cycle. While they may temporarily help you recover from sleep deprivation, they can make it harder to fall asleep at night.

10. Turn Your Phone Off Before Bed

Turning off your phone before bed can help remove distractions that keep you awake. These can include social media posts or work-related notifications that can stimulate your brain, making it difficult to relax and fall asleep. 

11. Keep a Healthy Diet

Keeping a healthy diet of nutrient and fibre-rich foods can help balance your health and promote overall well-being. When your body and mind are in balance, you may experience better sleep quality.

What Happens If I’m Always Sleep-Deprived?

We understand that getting enough sleep isn’t always easy, whether it’s due to work, stress, or other personal commitments. However, as mentioned earlier, sleep deprivation can seriously impact your health.

It weakens your immune system, impairs brain function, and increases the risk of developing health issues like hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes mellitus.

Here’s why:

• Hypertension: Persistent lack of sleep can disrupt your hormonal balance, increase stress hormones, and elevate blood pressure, gradually leading to hypertension.
• Coronary Heart Disease: Chronic sleep deprivation contributes to systemic inflammation, elevates blood pressure, and negatively impacts cholesterol levels, leading to plaque buildup in the arteries, a primary cause of coronary heart disease.
• Diabetes Mellitus: Insufficient sleep can impair your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar by reducing insulin sensitivity. This means that your cells don’t respond effectively to insulin, which can lead to insulin resistance, thereby increasing the risk of developing diabetes mellitus.

Is it Recommended to Take Melatonin?

Melatonin is the hormone that helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm and temperature, which can promote better sleep quality. If you have a night or two of sleeping difficulties, consuming it can help you fall asleep faster.

However, if your issue has progressed to more frequent sleep disturbances, melatonin efficacy remains debatable. As stated in one study, melatonin is only effective for sleep onset latency and total sleep time in children and adolescents, with no consistent benefit observed in adults with prolonged sleep problems.

Thus, with chronic sleep disturbances, it’s recommended to consult your doctor first before taking melatonin. There are cases where melatonin pills aren’t working, which need further evaluation to determine the underlying cause of your issue and explore alternative therapies. 

Final Thoughts: Get Support for Better Sleep

Dealing with sleep disturbances can be frustrating, but you don’t have to face it alone. With the right support, you can explore and find suitable therapies that work for your issue.

At Prologue The Lifestyle Medical Clinic, we offer personalised guidance to identify underlying causes and manage your sleep effectively, whether it’s through understanding your sleep habits with our sleep coaching or by assessing your overall health.

For instance, if you’ve been suffering from poor sleep for some time, a comprehensive health screening can help us assess your cardiovascular risks and other health factors, recognising the profound impact sleep deprivation can have. Our goal is to provide tailored support that meets your unique needs.

Take the first step toward better sleep. Schedule your consultation today.

FAQs

How do I know if my sleep problems are ‘just once in a while’ or a ‘pattern’?

Your sleep difficulties become a pattern when they happen frequently, such as three or more nights a week, and persist for several weeks or months. While an occasional restless night usually resolves on its own, persistent sleep issues may require further attention.

Can skipping afternoon naps improve my nighttime sleep?

Yes, skipping afternoon naps can often improve nighttime sleep, especially if you struggle to fall or stay asleep. Long or late naps can disrupt your natural sleep-wake cycle, making it harder to fall asleep later.

Are there any side effects from taking melatonin?

Yes, common side effects of melatonin can include drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, and headaches. Always consult your doctor before taking it, especially with other medications, as it may interact with them.

Are health risks from sleep deprivation reversible?

Yes, many health risks from sleep deprivation are reversible with consistent, sufficient sleep. Issues like elevated blood pressure, inflammation, and insulin sensitivity can often improve as your body rebalances with adequate rest.