If you're having trouble sleeping, it may be time to make some changes. Sleep disorders are common; some people get them for the first time in their lives when they hit their mid-20s or 30s. If you wake up from your sleep feeling groggy and exhausted, having trouble falling asleep, or can't stay asleep for more than an hour at a time, you may suffer from bad sleeping habits.
What are Some Common Bad Sleeping Habits?
You're sleeping more than eight hours a night but still not feeling rested. You feel tired all day, and you can only function with a cup of coffee or two.
Your body isn't getting the rest it needs; you need to fix that. Here are some signs that your sleeping habits are bad:
Feel tired all day long.
Get less done in 24 hours than others do in a week.
Have trouble focusing on schoolwork or work.
Have been depressed for at least three months.
The Importance of Sleep
Sleeping is a universal experience. Everyone needs to sleep and has their own sleeping habits, rituals, and preferences. When people talk about sleeping, they usually refer to the amount of sleep they get per night. But there's more than one way to measure "sleeping well"—and it's important to know which ones matter most if you want to know whether or not your sleep is healthy.
There are four main types of sleep: REM sleep, non-REM sleep, light sleep ( known as "slow-wave" sleep), and deep sleep (also known as "deep-stirred" or delta waves). Each type of sleep is important for different reasons: REM is required for memory formation and learning; non-REM is necessary for the body's restorative processes; light sleep helps with recovery from physical stressors; deep sleep improves mental performance and emotional resiliency; and delta wave activity supports muscle growth and repair.
How to Get Rid of Bad Sleeping Habits
If you've struggled with bad sleeping habits, it's time to take action. Your health depends on it.
Here are some handy tips for getting rid of bad sleeping habits:
Set a bedtime schedule and stick to it. This help gets into the habit of going to bed on time every night, which will help you establish healthy sleep habits.
Make sure your room is comfortable and dark. If your room isn't dark enough, consider using a sleep mask or earplugs at night to help keep light out of your eyes. A comfortable mattress and pillow can also make all the difference in how well you sleep!
Limit caffeine intake before bedtime (and keep a regular caffeinated drink schedule during the day). Caffeine can disrupt your sleep cycle by causing insomnia or even nightmares (so it's best not to have caffeine before bed).
Avoid large meals around bedtime (they might make it harder for your body to fall asleep).
If you are having trouble sleeping, try taking a warm bath with some lavender essential oil or using an aromatherapy pillow.
Can an At-Home Sleep Study Change Poor Sleeping Habits?
It could be because of your sleep habits if you've been having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Many things can affect your ability to get a good night's rest: stress, alcohol, caffeine, and the environment you sleep in. But if you've had trouble sleeping for a while, it may be time to consult a doctor online about what might be causing the problem.
You can do an at-home sleep study and help find out why you're having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. The study will take about an hour and won't hurt you in any way—no needles or sensors will be used during the test—and it will also give us more information about what might be happening with your body's natural rhythms.
If we find out that there's something wrong with your sleeping habits, we can recommend some tips for changing them so that they match up with how your body naturally wants to operate. For example, if we find out that your body needs less caffeine than usual so that it can fall asleep easier at night, then cutting back on coffee may help!
Is your bad sleeping habit leading to insomnia? You're probably not alone if you're not getting a good night's sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, over half of Americans sleep less than six hours per night. One in four Americans suffers from chronic insomnia, meaning they've had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep for at least three months. But while poor sleep may be a symptom of other issues, it can also be caused by poor habits that keep you from getting enough rest.
For example:
Are you using your phone or laptop late at night? Not only will this affect your ability to fall asleep, but also your ability to stay asleep!
Do you tend to stay up too late watching TV or playing video games? When these activities are combined with poor habits like drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes before bedtime, they lead to tossing and turning all night long.
Do you snore loudly every time you sleep on your back or side? This can disrupt the quality of sleep and create conditions conducive to respiratory infections, such as colds and sinusitis, which are more likely to occur!
Sleep Apnea Test to Diagnose Bad Sleeping Habits
If you're tired of feeling like you can't fall asleep, you may have sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea causes a person's breathing to stop and start during sleep. In extreme cases, it can cause death.
If you have sleep apnea, this can mean that your brain isn't getting enough oxygen at night. This can make you tired and irritable and lead to memory loss and other signs of poor health. If left untreated, it can also lead to heart problems and stroke.
The good news is that there are ways to diagnose this condition and get insomnia treatment online. You can take a home sleep apnea test to determine whether or not you have sleep apnea.
Conclusion
Let's face it: sleep is one of the only things we get the chance to do that is totally under our control. But what if you need to get more of it? What if your sleep habits are bad? What if you wake up tired and can't get back to sleep?
A professional at SleepRx can help you with all these problems and more. Their sleep medicine doctors will work with you to determine what your body needs to have a healthy sleep cycle, then work with you to develop a plan for getting there.