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Published by Reality Check Daily on September 25, 2019

1. Turn off electronics

prioritizing good sleep is good self love

Do you fall asleep with the TV on or maybe you browse social media before bed? Whether you’re looking at your phone, your computer or a TV screen, your technology might be keeping you up.

A 2014 study looked at the sleep patterns of over seven hundred teenagers each one used some form of Technology at night. The researchers tested participants based on the device they used before bed. So, one group played video games while another watched TV. They discovered that all electronics interfered with sleep in some way.

Playing video games delayed sleep onset. Watching TV led to early rising, even listening to music increased the risk of having nightmares. However, every technology had one thing in common. They all made it harder to fall asleep and this isn’t the only study out there.

Another study from 2013 found the same results for computers phones and TVs. They determined that you could actually increase sleep duration by reducing night-time technology use. A third study added that turning off devices an hour earlier would significantly increase the length and depth of your sleep.

So, why is technology so damaging? Well, the first and most obvious problem is the screen itself. Computers, phones, and TVs emit what’s called blue lights which restricts the production of a hormone called melatonin.

Our bodies release melatonin into the bloodstream to reduce alertness. In other words, it makes us tired. This process usually starts at around 9:00 o’clock at night. The start time can fluctuate depending on when you go to bed but will continue for about 12 hours afterward.

Ideally, melatonin should enter your bloodstream a few hours before bed. That way you have time to relax and gradually drift off to sleep. However, when you’re using technology nothing tells your body when to relax.

It really hasn’t had time to wind down because it wasn’t producing any of that sleep-inducing hormone. Luckily, though most modern computers let you adjust the kind of light on your screen and that way you can use technology without stopping the production of melatonin.

However, that doesn’t really mean you’re off the hook. Technology can still significantly worsen your sleep by re-engaging your brain. Now, unlike meditating or reading a book, activities like playing video games force your mind to stay hyper-alert.

They require you to be focused and be vigilant which is mentally stimulating. So, when you try to sleep, your brain gets confused. It can’t jump from excitement to relaxation in the blink of an eye. Just like melatonin needs time to kick in, your brain needs time to switch gears. So, by turning devices off at least an hour before bed, you give your brain the chance to unwind.

Technology can ruin your sleep by interrupting deep sleep. Click To Tweet

Last but not least, Many people like to use their phones as alarms. They leave the volume on high to make sure they don’t oversleep.

However, you run the risk of miscellaneous texts, calls, and emails waking you up in the middle of the night. Now, on the surface, this doesn’t seem like much. So, why does it matter? If you occasionally wake up to check your phone, well those tiny interruptions make a huge difference in sleep quality.

Your body and brain need deep sleep to store memories and repair itself but you need hours of uninterrupted sleep to get there. If your phone is waking you up, it’s stealing time that your body and your brain need to rejuvenate.

Also read: How to sleep better and feel more refreshed

2. Eat right

After decades of research, nutritionists still don’t agree on whether or not eating at night is good for you. Some say that eating at night accelerates weight gain while others insist that it speeds up your metabolism.

It also doesn’t help that most real data on the subject is muddled by popular myths. A common myth is that food eaten at night is more likely to be stored as fat. A 1988 study showed however that your average metabolic rate is the same at night as it is during the day. Another myth is that calories are worth more in the afternoon. In other words, a hundred calories in the morning are worse than a hundred in the evening.

Hmm. I hear this one all the time yet no study has ever proved this to be true. Despite all of this confusing evidence, there is one thing that is consistently true.

Eating certain foods before bed will stand in the way of your sleep. Click To Tweet

When people think about eating at night, they are focused primarily on when they’re eating. Now, you might think if your timing is right then you can eat anything without experiencing any negative side effects.

You might have tried eating an early dinner to give your body time to digest or maybe you try weighing your meals differently. You might eat a giant breakfast and lunch followed by a tiny dinner but will any of this really improve the quality of your sleep?

When you eat is far less important than what you eat. Click To Tweet

Food containing sugar, caffeine, and cheese make it harder to fall asleep. Similar to blue light, they keep your brain feeling alert which is exactly what you don’t want before bed. Foods that are either spicy or high in fat can cause restlessness due to slow digestion or heartburn.

Even healthy foods containing lots of water can create issues. If you eat a bunch of melon or celery well you’re almost guaranteed to wake up with a full bladder. So, instead of worrying about when you eat, focus on choosing the right foods.

Bananas will help you unwind by supplying your body with muscle relaxers like potassium and magnesium. They also help your brain produce sleep-inducing melatonin. Foods like almonds and turkey are great sources of tryptophan.

Tryptophan stimulates the production of serotonin which directly influences your sleep cycle. So, when you eat naturally relaxing foods, you’ll find yourself falling asleep in no time.

Also read:5 Easy tips and tricks to help you sleep better

3. Stay out of bed

You can also fall asleep faster by reserving your bed exclusively for sleep. Click To Tweet

People often eat, watch TV or play games in bed. Do you ever use your bed as a workspace? Now, while it’s certainly comfier, these habits may be interfering with your sleep. Our brain naturally associates behaviors and places together.

For example, when you go to work, your brain recognizes where you are and what that means. You don’t feel like watching a movie or kicking your shoes off because that’s not what you do in this environment.

However, if you start binging Netflix at work, your brain would start to associate the two together. So, the same thing applies to your bed. When you work in bed you’re creating new associations – your bed isn’t just for sleep anymore. So, your brain doesn’t know how to feel -should it be alert and productive like you are at work or should it be relaxed like you are at night.

You usually end up with an unhelpful blend – you won’t feel as motivated to work but you’ll also struggle to unwind. You can avoid this behavioral confusion by making your bed a sanctuary of sleep. Just try to keep all meals, technology and work in another room and that way when you do finally climb into bed your body will know exactly what to do.

a good laugh and a long sleep

4. Don’t force it

fall asleep early

No matter how much you want to, you can’t force yourself to fall asleep. When you have a test or interview in the morning, few things are more frustrating than lying awake watching the minutes go by.

It’s dark, it’s quiet and it’s comfortable yet your mind is racing. You know you need to be well-rested but you just can’t stop tossing and turning. You imagine how tired you’re going to be in the morning, it starts to feel like your whole future depends on falling asleep right at this second.

Just so why can’t you? Why do you get a sudden bout of insomnia every time something important happens? Stress and sleep just don’t mix- whether it’s physical or mental stress, it makes you feel stimulated and alert.

It floods your body with hormones like cortisol which supply you with an unwanted boost of energy and to make matters worse stress builds on itself. Even the tiniest bit of self-doubt can escalate so much that it takes hours before you can finally relax.

Now, this is especially common before bed because you’re out of distractions. Usually, you can work, read or exercise to occupy your brain. However, when you’re lying there in the dark, it can feel like you’re trapped with your own thoughts.

So, what can you do about it? First, you should try to figure out what’s keeping you awake. Are you feeling unprepared? Are you worried about failing? Once you figure it out, concentrate on it. Oftentimes, we lie there trying our hardest to avoid the thing that’s keeping us up, similar to how you should listen to a song to get it out of your head.

Addressing the problem will help you get past it. Even if you’re not anxious, your goal should be to take the pressure off of yourself, try to accept that you’ll only sleep when your body’s ready and not a second earlier.

So, instead of just lying there, just relax by reading, meditating or taking a bath. When you’re ready, these soothing distractions will ease you into a deep and peaceful sleep.

Also read: How to lose weight while you sleep