6 Things About Sleep You May Not Know

Sleep is one of the most important resources that you have at your disposal. This is your body’s opportunity to reset and recharge. Although it is one of your body’s more important resources, it is all too often compromised due to busyness and a misunderstanding of its crucial nature. If you want to achieve a better night’s sleep and enjoy more wakeful days, here are six things that you need to know about sleep.

Certain Lights Can Impact Your Sleep

Emerging research has showcased the influence that light can have on sleep. Particularly blue light’s influence on your ability to fall asleep and the disruptions that it can have on your natural sleep patterns. While this is commonly understood, many people don’t realize what color light helps you sleep. Natural light helps regulate sleep patterns; however, these light waves can also be simulated within the home and red light can be a useful tool for those struggling to sleep. To help you sleep better, investigate how light may be influencing your slumbers.

Sleep Deprivation Recovery Can Have Lasting Effects

Because sleep is often sacrificed when life gets busy, many adults end up dealing with sleep deprivation. While you may be tempted to cut back on your slumbers to give you a few more hours in the day, you need to understand that sleep deprivation can have lasting effects. Even a few deficient nights can negatively impact your health. Sleep deprivation can trigger similar symptoms to alcohol intoxication and the recovery period can be much longer than many people realize. While you may think that one night of good sleep can get you back to normal, it can take days or even weeks, depending on your body’s response and recovery process. This resource is far too precious and important to deprive yourself of.

Food Could Be Interrupting Your Slumbers

What many adults don’t know is that food can be interrupting your sleep. Having too heavy or too sugary of a meal before bedtime can leave your body ill-equipped to fully unwind. Whether you experience acid reflux or your digestive system is still firing as you go to sleep, this can cause significant disruptions. If you want to enjoy a better night’s sleep, make sure that you stop eating at least two hours before bedtime.

A Midnight Snack Is a Mistake

Similarly to eating too close to bedtime, a midnight snack is the perfect way to disrupt your sleep cycle. If you are prone to waking up in the middle of the night and struggle to fall back asleep, fight the urge to sneak off for a midnight snack. Eating in the middle of the night can throw off your sleep cycle and signal to your body that it is time to wake up. Instead, try a relaxation technique or breathwork to relax your body.

Hitting Snooze Could Be Hurting You

If you feel groggy throughout the day, this may be from you hitting the snooze button. While a few extra moments of rest may sound enjoyable at the moment, those few extra minutes of sleep could be hurting you. While you may loathe your alarm for its disruption, if you spring out of bed and start your day right away, you can give yourself a boost of energy. Don’t let those extra few minutes of relaxation in the morning drain your energy for the rest of the day when you can feel better about your day when you start it strong.

You Could Have the Wrong Sheets

Your bedding may be another factor that is influencing your sleep without you knowing it. While discomfort or scratchiness may be obvious, the type of fabric and its breathability could be disrupting your sleep. You will want cooler, more breathable sheets like bamboo in the summer and more insulating sheets in the winter like flannel or fleece. Don’t let the wrong fabric disrupt your slumbers; you can switch them out seasonally and be ready for whatever the weather has to offer.

Although there is ample research on sleep, many adults are still relatively uninformed. Don’t suffer through another night’s poor sleep when you can use these six factors to achieve a better-informed sleep.