Factors Which Contribute To Sleeping Problems
If you’re lucky enough to live your whole life in such a way that you never have any difficulty getting to bed or waking up in the morning, lucky you. For the majority of people, though, this isn’t going to be the reality. In America alone, it’s estimated some 70,000,000 people have some sort of sleeping disorder. Now on the books, there are under 350,000,000 US citizens.
That means, according to the numbers, around 20% of the whole country, or 1 in 5 people, deal with some sort of chronic sleeping disorder. Those who don’t have chronic sleeping disorders represent an even larger statistic. The point is, this is a common issue, and when it comes to sleeping issues, insomnia is at the top of the list.
How do you handle this problem? Following we’ll explore a few reasons you’re having sleep issues. If you’re not waking up in the morning well-rested, it’s probably owing to the following.
1. Don’t Sleep Too Much
When you sleep too much, that makes you more tired, and more likely to increase how much you sleep. Too much sleep also tends to initiate weight gain. Your body becomes more “rotund”, if you will. Body issues can lead to depression, depression tends to make people more sleepy. So if you sleep too much, this can make you sleep more.
But it won’t be restful sleep; you’ll have trouble getting out of bed, and you’ll be tired while you’re awake until you sleep again. The thing is, how do you know if you’re sleeping too much?
Well, as a rule of thumb, if you’re an adult who has reached physical maturity, and you’re otherwise healthy, men shouldn’t sleep more than 8 hours a night, and women shouldn’t sleep more than about 9 hours a night; barring certain disorders in either category. Generally, women need a bit more sleep than men. Read more on healthy nightly sleep here.
2. Don’t Sleep Too Little
On the other side of the coin, you don’t want to sleep too little. If you’re getting less than 6 hours a night, that can be unhealthy. Most people have a minimum sleep threshold of about 7 hours, but some do better with 6. Sleeping less than that isn’t advisable. Sleep cycles tend to last about 90 minutes. That’s 4 in a 6-hour period.
While different people have different lengths of sleep cycles defining them, generally you can expect each to be near an hour and a half. Accordingly, if you sleep less than 6 hours, you wake up with an unfulfilled sleep cycle.
If you sleep 7 hours, you probably get up once or twice in the night to use the restroom, and it probably takes 10 or 15 minutes to fall asleep initially. So if you clock 7 hours of rest a night, you’re probably getting closer to 6 anyway. If you clock 6, you’re definitely getting less than 6.
3. Assure You Have An Appropriate Mattress
Another thing that might be inhibiting your ability to sleep, and therefore how rested you feel when you wake up in the morning, is the sort of mattress you’re using. Have you ever tried a memory foam mattress? You might find such options suit you; if you’ve never tried memory foam, this could be recommendable.
4. Eat The Right Foods In The Right Quantity
Too much food will give you heartburn, too little food and your stomach will churn; grumbling deep into the night. If you eat the wrong sort of food before you go to bed, there’s a high likelihood you’ll wake up with heartburn in the night.
Some people don’t have this problem, but many develop acid reflux issues in later life. Try not to eat anything less than 4 hours before you go to bed, or after 5 in the evening.
5. Assure You’re Physically Active Regularly
Something else that will help you both sleep better and wake up more energized is exercise. If you wake up in the morning, hit the gym, then hit the shower, you’ll have the energy to spare, and when evening comes, sleep will be easy to drift into. When you awake, you’ll not want to sleep anymore; you’ll be ready to go. In a word, proper exercise balances you.
Better Sleep Results In A Better Morning
Being properly physically active through exercise or other means will help you sleep better, and wake up more well-rested. Eating the right foods in the right quantity is another option to help you sleep better and wake up more rested. The right mattress can be fundamental in assisting you here, as can sleeping neither too little nor too much.
Altogether, when you’re able to determine and maintain a balanced daily routine, that does a lot to help you get the rest you need—your level of sleep is requisite to your routine as a whole. So finally, examine the routine you have now, and determine where there are things that should be changed to help you get the sleep you need regularly.
