1. Relying on naps to compensate for lack of sleep
While a short, restorative nap can be restorative, long or late-afternoon naps can disrupt your nighttime sleep. As we age, our sleep-wake cycle naturally becomes disrupted. A prolonged nap can disrupt your body clock, making it difficult to fall asleep later. This creates a vicious cycle of daytime fatigue and nighttime awakenings.
The solution: Limit your naps to 20 to 30 minutes maximum and take them in the early afternoon, ideally before 3 p.m. This gives you a quick energy boost without interfering with your main sleep period.
2. Ignoring a regular sleep schedule
Your body loves routine. Going to bed and waking up at different times every day, especially on weekends, can disrupt your circadian rhythm, your body’s natural clock. This inconsistency signals to your brain that it doesn’t have a specific time to rest, resulting in fragmented, poor-quality sleep.
The solution: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. Consistency is key to getting your body used to expecting sleep at a specific time.
3. Consuming caffeinated drinks too late
4. Using your bedroom as a multi-purpose room
For many, the bedroom has become an office, a TV lounge, and a reading nook. The line between rest and activity is blurring. Your brain begins to associate your bed with wakefulness and stress, not sleep. Using electronic devices like tablets or smartphones in bed is particularly harmful because the blue light they emit can inhibit the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep.
Solution: Dedicate your bedroom to two things: sleep and privacy. Keep work supplies, televisions, and other electronics out of the room. Create a cool, dark, and quiet space to signal to your body that it’s time to rest.
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