5 Common Causes of Sleep Problems
Sometimes we lie wide awake in bed and the sleep just doesn’t want to and won’t come. These 5 causes are in many cases to blame for sleep disorders!
Sleep disorders are a mass phenomenon: millions of people complain about them in the USA alone. It is often difficult to fall asleep and sleep through the night, and just as often those affected wake up unusually early and are unable to sleep any longer. The result: constant tiredness during the day, exhaustion, concentration problems. But why is it so difficult to get a good night’s sleep? We have summarized five common causes for poor sleep!
1. You eat too late
Of course it is tempting to sneak back to the fridge late in the evening and have a cup of pudding when nobody notices. But you’re not doing your sleep routine any favors: Especially heavy, greasy and/or very sugary food puts an enormous strain on your digestion, which can make sleeping impossible. Equally dangerous: caffeinated food after 6 pm. If you already suffer from insomnia, you should avoid a cup of coffee or a glass of cola in the evening.
2. You took a nap
Two to three naps a week are healthy, as a new study has recently shown, as we described in the article How a Power-Nap protects your heart. But you should keep in mind that a short nap is also part of your regular sleeping time – so the following night you might sleep a little shorter than usual. If you suffer from waking up too early, you should check if your nap is responsible for this.
3. You are under stress
It is really not always easy to leave the events of the day behind and clear your head – although this is practically essential for healthy sleep. Whether it’s problems at work or a seemingly endless to-do list at home, emotional worries trigger stress, which in turn boosts the body’s adrenaline production. Permanent stress in particular is pure poison for our sleep. If you notice that you are suffering from permanent mental stress, get help. A psychotherapist can work out stress management strategies with you, for example. At work you should talk honestly with your boss about what the workload does to you. And your partner can certainly take over the household or childcare so that you can take a break.
4. Your feet are cold
In order for us to sleep, the body shuts down like a computer. But it can’t do that if our hands or feet are cold: Then it boosts the blood flow to warm the cold limbs – which in turn prevents us from sleeping. A warm footbath or a hot water bottle at the end of the bed can help here. On the other hand, you should avoid socks: They, in turn, overheat the feet too quickly and can disturb sleep through the night.
5. You use your cell phone at bedtime
Blue-wave light emitted by smartphones, televisions and the like influences the production of the “sleep hormone” melatonin, so that the body releases less of it. And that in turn keeps us awake. To get a good night’s sleep, we should avoid electronic devices for at least two hours before going to bed. Better: reading a good book or drinking a relaxing cup of tea – that makes most people tired.