Have you ever spent a night tossing and turning, willing yourself to fall asleep but with no luck? We’ve all been there – exhausted yet wide awake, staring at the ceiling or clock as the hours tick by. Those long, sleepless nights are rough mentally and physically.
Not getting enough quality sleep takes its toll in many ways. You walk around feeling drained and irritable. Focus and concentration become difficult. And if you’re struggling to sleep, you need to know what’s causing those sleepless nights.
Why Sleep Matters
When you don’t get 7-9 hours night after night, it throws your body out of balance. But beyond leaving you groggy and irritable in the moment, chronic sleep loss has real health consequences.
Lack of sleep affects hunger hormones, like leptin and ghrelin, which cause you to eat more and crave sugary, fatty foods. Heart health suffers too. Chronic sleep loss is associated with higher blood pressure, resting heart rate, and inflammation levels – all of which strain the cardiovascular system.
Eating Sugar Close to Bedtime
It’s no secret that downing donuts and soda before bed isn’t the wisest idea for restful sleep. But the reason goes deeper than just the sugar rush. When we flood our bodies with quick-burning sugars and refined carbs like white bread, here’s what happens step-by-step:
The sugary treats launch blood sugar through the roof. As a counterattack, your body calls in the insulin cavalry, which swiftly mops up the sweet invaders. But the insulin squad can get a little overzealous—crashing blood sugar below where it started.
This rapid rollercoaster signals RED ALERT to your body that famine is imminent. Ancient survival circuits still wired into our brains activate fight-or-flight mode to motivate you to go hunt quick energy. Not the state you want to be in for relaxation and slumber!
Over time, researchers believe this regular blood sugar boom-and-bust cycle from refined carbs and added sugar creates a tendency towards insomnia and interrupted sleep. So, while that late-night ice cream may taste heavenly going down, it can stir up trouble once your head hits the pillow.
A Stuffy or Dry Bedroom
Ever wake up with crusty eyes, a dry mouth, or congested sinuses? That’s the work of arid air dehydrating your respiratory system.
To make matters worse, stuffiness and poor ventilation trap exhaled carbon dioxide around you. With every breath, you re-inhale this waste gas instead of fresh, oxygen-rich air. It’s no wonder you feel sluggish and fatigued even after 8 hours of “sleep.”
Over time, experts believe breathing this bone-dry, stagnant air night after night can stress your body and disrupt natural sleep rhythms. You may toss and turn without reaching deeper stages of restorative slumber.
So, check the humidity level in your bedroom – ideally between 40-60% is best for sleeping. Open the window or run the humidifier. And make sure your mattress and bedding aren’t retaining moisture and heat. Taking in long, relaxing breaths of fresh, humid air could be your ticket to sleeping well.
Clock Watching
Keeping your eye on the clock can create an endless cycle of anxiety that makes it harder to relax and fall asleep. As you lie in bed, glancing sideways at the clock only increases your stress level as the hours tick by. Thoughts race through your mind: “It’s already 2 AM, I’m only going to get 5 hours of sleep at this rate.” This anxiety and frustration make it even more difficult to calm both body and mind – key requirements for drifting off. Ironically, watching the minutes slip away on the clock often worsens insomnia.
Each time you check the clock, you reinforce an unhealthy association between your bedroom and wakefulness. To break this vicious cycle, hide clocks or turn them around to avoid the temptation of checking. Commit to not looking at the time if you wake up at night. With consistency, you can retrain your brain and nervous system to unwind instead of focusing on the ticking clock.
Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea
Does your bed partner nudge you awake complaining about your thunderous snoring? Do you struggle to stay awake on the road or at your desk despite getting 8 hours of sleep? There may be more happening each night than noisy logs sawing in your bedroom.
What you could be experiencing is sleep apnea, pauses in breathing that prevent restorative oxygen from reaching your brain and body. It’s a stealthy condition that often hides in plain sight behind symptoms like daytime drowsiness, restless slumber, and sudden gasps when awake.
The reason many cases go undiagnosed. The red flags mimic routine exhaustion. But while poor sleep habits can be fixed with lifestyle changes, sleep apnea needs medical attention. So, talk to your doctor if you’re a chronic snorer or have frequent nighttime awakenings.
Medications
Turns out some of the most common medications, like those for lowering blood pressure, easing anxiety, reducing inflammation, and more, have insomnia or sleep disturbances listed under their side effects in the fine print. How do these drugs sabotage shuteye? The mechanisms differ, but usually, they end up over-activating areas of the brain that should be hitting the off switch at bedtime.
Alpha-blockers relax blood vessels, but also rev up the “fight or flight” response – not so relaxing for sleep. Beta-blockers slow heart rate but can disrupt melatonin production and healthy sleep cycles. Steroids like prednisone can be straight-up stimulants. Even antidepressants, intended to boost mood, can backfire on wired-and-tired nights.
If your nightly rest went downhill after starting a new medication, talk to your doctor. There may be an alternative drug without the sleep-stealing side effects. Also, discuss good sleep hygiene habits to help counteract the medication’s impact. With adjustments, you can continue treating your health condition without becoming part of the prescription.
Eating Spicy Foods for Dinner
For spicy food lovers, that savory burn comes with a price when it’s time to hit the hay. Settling into bed after devouring hot wings or an extra-spicy curry is like trying to sleep on smoldering coals. The culprit? Chili peppers and other fiery ingredients irritate the delicate lining of your digestive tract. This sparks painful heartburn, reflux and indigestion that can flare up just as you’re drifting off. Before you know it, you’re wide awake chugging antacids at 2 a.m.
It’s not just spicy cuisine wreaking havoc either. Packing in a heavy meal of any kind too close to bed forces your stomach into overdrive, trying to digest while lying prone. So, give your stomach a break before bed. Avoid spicy dishes or rich servings after 7 p.m., giving at least 2-3 hours for digestion before the lights go out. Stick to lighter snacks like yogurt, cereal, or fruit if late-night hunger strikes. A little planning goes a long way toward peaceful ZZs instead of midnight indigestion drama.
A Sleeping Area That’s Too Warm
Does your bedroom feel like a tropical heatwave at night, with fans whirring and sheets sticking to sweaty skin as you toss and turn? Well, you can bid farewell to restless, interrupted sleep by simply adjusting the thermostat.
Here’s the deal: experts say around 65 degrees F is the sweet spot for your body to dip into deep, rejuvenating sleep cycles. But most of us crank bedrooms into the seventies or beyond. All that extra heat hinders the body’s natural cooling process that should kick in as bedtime nears.
You see, a few hours before sleep, your core temperature needs to drop by 2-3 degrees to signal drowsiness. But sweltering bedrooms short-circuit this process. As you try to drift off coated in sweat, your temperature stays too high for the brain to release melatonin and usher in sleep.
It’s a nightly sauna that steals precious sleep, especially the slow-wave phase where cellular repair happens. This is one reason you still feel groggy after 8+ hours in a hot room.
So do yourself a favor – turn down the heat to 65 degrees tonight. Slip between breathable, moisture-wicking sheets. With the ideal cool conditions, your body can naturally spiral into uninterrupted deep sleep cycles. You’ll be amazed how much more refreshing those crisp morning walks feel after a truly restful night!
Even Small Amounts of Light Exposure at Night Can Keep You Awake
That sleepy feeling when your phone keeps you up too late? Blame blue light. These wavelengths from devices mimic daylight, confusing your body’s clock and delaying precious melatonin. This sleep hormone needs darkness to rise and prep your brain for bed. So, avoid screens at night, draw the blackout curtains, and let your circadian rhythms relax into uninterrupted slumber. With the right conditions, your biological bedtime will come naturally.
Taking a Nap During the Day
Early bird naps catch the worm. Dozing off too late risks night owl insomnia. For refreshing daytime siestas, mind the clock – our circadian cycles frown on snoozing after 2 p.m. A brief morning or midday catnap can enhance alertness sans sleep disruption. But later snoozing signals wakefulness to the body clock, delaying much-needed melatonin. So, keep naps brief and before the 2 o’clock zone. With that timing hack, you can recharge without disturbing your slumber when the moon’s out.
The Bottom Line
Prioritize quality sleep to boost your energy, stamina, and overall health. Remember, adequate and quality sleep is a cornerstone of maintaining optimal health and peak functionality. Now you know some things that can keep you awake and how to correct them.
References:
- “11 Things That Can Interfere with Your Sleep | Psychology Today.” 09 Jan. 2020, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/202001/11-things-can-interfere-your-sleep.
- “Overcoming Factors that Interfere with Sleep | Sleep Medicine.” 01 Oct. 2021, https://sleep.hms.harvard.edu/education-training/public-education/sleep-and-health-education-program/sleep-health-education-50.
- “Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption.” 19 May. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5449130/.
- “Sleep is essential to health: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine ….” 01 Oct. 2021, https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.9476.
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