A good night’s rest can turn restless pretty quickly if you’re having a hard time sleeping. If you’re worried about it, here are some reasons why you may be having trouble falling asleep and whether you should go to a sleep clinic Damascus MD.
Too Much Blue Light
If you’re having a hard time falling asleep and you’re essentially wide awake, then you might need to look at your nightstand for the main culprit. Blue light emitted from mobile phones, laptops, and even TV is highly stimulating and it wills your brain to stay awake. The blue light of mobile phones is the main thing that can disrupt your sleeping schedule.
If you’re a fan of scrolling through your phone or working on your laptop into the late hours of the night, then these things can prevent you from falling asleep quickly. You shouldn’t use electronics right before bed and give yourself a break from staring at the luminous screen for long periods.
If it’s part of your work and you need to do some work, then try installing a blue light filter or a screen dimmer on your electronic devices. This changes the color temperature of the light and it’s not as blaring as blue light. This is going to prevent eye irritation and you’ll be able to snooze a lot faster.
Alcohol
Are you a fan of consuming alcohol before bed? There’s a conception out there that alcohol actually promotes sleep and while it may be true in some cases, it’s also the contrary. Alcohol is another stimulant that can cause your brain to stay awake.
If you consume a large quantity of alcohol right before you fall asleep, then chances are that you will not be able to doze off for hours. Alcohol can stimulate your brain and heart so it’s not the best thing to sip on if you’re trying to get a bit tipsy before bed. It won’t help you sleep at all.
Caffeine Intake Before Bed
Caffeine is marketed as something that allows you to stay awake when you need that jolt of energy. So, drinking coffee, tea, and sugary energy drinks before bed isn’t going to help you sleep, rather you’ll be awake and tossing and turning all night long.
It’s best that you stop taking anything with caffeine in it 4 to 5 hours before you’re ready to wind down for bed. This is going to eject all of the remaining caffeine from your body and you will be able to sleep better, otherwise, you will be bouncing off the walls all night long with a lot of energy.
Overstimulated Or Understimulated Body
An overstimulated body can also prevent your brain from shutting down for the night. Overstimulation can occur if you’re exercising at weird hours of the evening, like right before bed. This is not the best idea, because you want your body to be tired, not energized before you sleep.
Similarly, not exercising at all during the day will also cause sleep issues, because you’re not exerting your body enough. You need to exercise in the morning to give you that boost of endorphins to get you through the day and you will see that you will feel tired by the time evening rolls around.
New Routine
Maybe you started a new job and the hours are hectic. Maybe you’re putting an all-nighter for a test or project that’s due anytime now. If these things are out of your ordinary routine, then you’re going to have a hard time falling asleep.
Our bodies are very in tune with routine and any change in it can cause our brains to go haywire. This is why it’s suggested that you give your body a bit of time to get used to the new routine.
Work Schedule
Are you working for a different time zone that allows you to stay awake for the majority of the night? Well, this can also be a reason why you’re not sleeping nicely. Changes in the normal sleeping pattern can disrupt everything.
The pressure of working and the overall difference in the setting can cause your circadian rhythm to be thrown off-balance and this will cause you to toss and turn all night long. Usually, this habit gets better with time and your body gets used to the new routine, but the initial days will be a train wreck for sure.
Stress
Stress is a major reason for sleeping disorders that doesn’t allow people to fall and stay asleep without any problems. Stress can be about anything. It can be about work, school, or family problems that are putting your mind through a roller-coaster of thoughts. Even things like the thoughts of obesity and weight loss can cause stress.
One thing that you can try to let your mind go of all of your worries is meditation. Meditation is a great way to relax your mind and body and it forces your brain to stay blank and not think of anything else, besides your breathing. It’s a great habit to implement right before you try to fall asleep.
Sleep Disorders
Aside from these habitual changes and lifestyle modifications, there can be chronic issues that do not allow you to sleep well at night. Those things can include insomnia, sleep apnea, circadian rhythm disorders, and other sleep disorders.
These disorders need proper treatment if you want to be able to sleep again, otherwise you will always be restless at night and will be unable to slip into dreamland. If you have issues with sleep that are consistent with sleeping disorders, then it’s probably best that you visit a doctor who specialize in sleep disorders so that you can get to the bottom of the problem.
Restless Leg Syndrome
This is more like an associated symptom of several sleeping disorders. If you’re suffering from insomnia, then this might be something that your body does, involuntarily. Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is the involuntary movement of the leg, especially when you’re in bed and can’t sleep.
It’s essentially a motor response of your leg that you’re unable to sleep. This is not dangerous by any means, but you will feel wide awake, shaking and moving your legs and you might think that it’s weird that your leg is moving on its own.
RLS is both a sleep disorder and a movement disorder. Because it affects your sleep so it’s a sleep disorder and as it’s about moving your leg so it’s a movement disorder as well.
Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder
This is also another sleeping disorder that doesn’t necessarily disrupt your sleeping schedule, but it does delay it by 3 or 4 hours. For instance, if your usual sleeping time is 11 pm, then delayed sleep phase disorder is going to push it further to either 2 or 3 am, and by the time it’s late at night, that’s when you will be able to finally fall asleep.
This condition can either be acute (occurring seldomly) or chronic (occurring almost every day). You will need to see a doctor to get treated.
Conclusion
Sleep issues are very normal and most of them can be fixed by some minor lifestyle modifications. Once the issue is known, you can tackle it headfirst. However, if you’re having sleep problems for many nights (four weeks or more) or the sleep problems are disturbing your ability to function, you must visit a sleep center Germantown.