Health

Signs You Have Bad Sleep Hygiene and How to Fix It

Practice Mindfulness During the Day and Before Bed For people who worry, whether it’s caused by anxiety, stress, or something else, mindfulness can have a huge… Samantha Davis - November 10, 2022

Practicing mindfulness during the day helps you relax at night. Shutterstock.

Practice Mindfulness During the Day and Before Bed

For people who worry, whether it’s caused by anxiety, stress, or something else, mindfulness can have a huge impact on how quickly you can let go of those thoughts and get some sleep. Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment. This means that when a negative thought interrupts you from trying to drift off to sleep, you acknowledge it and then let it go.

Mindfulness isn’t something most people get the hang of the first time that they try it, but you will get better with practice. Start by sitting in a quiet and taking a few deep breaths. Then, try to clear your mind and focus on your breathing. Some people start by visualizing something like a stop sign or apple to keep their minds focused. If you have interrupting thoughts, acknowledge them and let them pass, without dwelling on them too much.

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Menopause causes hot flashes and night sweats that are intense enough to wake you up. Shutterstock.

If Menopause Keeps You Up at Night…

While it’s estimated only 12% of women experience sleep difficulties, that number jumps drastically to 40% when you are talking about women in their 40s and 50s. The reason for this increase is the increased likelihood of menopause, which happens pretty commonly around this age. Menopause comes with a lot of uncomfortable symptoms as your body adjusts to lower estrogen levels.

Some uncomfortable symptoms include increased heart rate and body temperature associated with hot flashes. At night, hot flashes are known as night sweats. It’s not uncommon for episodes to last anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes, but it’s often enough to wake a woman up and disrupt her sleep.

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A cooling mattress and comfortable bed sheets help you sleep better. Shutterstock.

Take Steps to Keep Your Room Cooler

While there is no guaranteed method to get rid of hot flashes, you can greatly improve your chance of having a good night’s rest by making your sleeping environment a lot cooler. Keep temperatures cool. While you should go with whatever is most comfortable, experts recommend a sleeping temperature of around 65 degrees or lower for the average person.

The clothing you wear to bed also makes a difference. Opt for lightweight, breathable fabrics that won’t trap your skin and make you sweat. Using a fan at night or trying cooling blankets, mattresses, and pillows can also help. Finally, if symptoms are severe and night sweats don’t stop, talk to your doctor about other options like supplementing estrogen to relieve menopause symptoms.

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Even if you don’t wake up, snoring might be preventing a full night of rest. Shutterstock.

If Snoring is Disrupting Your Sleep…

Snoring is one of those things that people mistakenly believe affects other people more than themselves. While it seems like a nuisance, it can actually disrupt the quality of your sleep along with your partner’s. Other times, snoring might be a sign of sleep apnea or another serious condition that requires medical intervention, especially if it’s happening because your airway is being closed.

Snoring happens when something blocks the air from flowing freely out your nose at night. Some people experience it because they have extra tissue in their throat that blocks their airway, while other people experience it because of the position of their tongue. When air doesn’t flow freely, it causes the vocal cords to vibrate loudly in the throat and results in snoring.

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Nasal strips help people with narrow nasal passageways breathe better at night. KDVR.

Try These Snoring Solutions

Since snoring happens because there isn’t enough airflow through the nasal cavities and throat, it makes sense that anything that opens this area up would help. Some people have effectiveness using over-the-counter nasal strips that open up nasal passages. Another solution is changing the position that you sleep in since your tongue is more likely to close the airway if you are on your back.

People who are overweight are also more likely to snore (and develop sleep apnea), so getting healthier could also help in some cases. You should also avoid smoking, drinking, and certain medications that make snoring worse. Finally, be sure to talk to your doctor if snoring is accompanied by waking up suddenly or breathing stopping at night. This could indicate sleep apnea, which can be dangerous.

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Sleeping medication can be helpful sometimes, but it also has side effects. Shutterstock.

If Sleeping Medication Has Too Many Side Effects…

The Cleveland Clinic estimates that around 1-in-3 people middle age and older take some type of sleeping pill to help them rest. Insomnia becomes more common as you age and sleeping medicine does offer relief for some people. Some sleeping pills work by making you drowsy, while others might quiet the area of the brain that keeps you awake.

While sleeping pills are a good way to get a good night’s rest, even more natural options like melatonin can have side effects. Certain sleeping pills make it hard to wake up even after a full night of sleep, making you feel groggy and disoriented at the beginning of your day. There’s also a risk of dependence since your body doesn’t need to produce melatonin as usual to help you sleep.

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Keeping a consistent bedtime routine and schedule is much more effective than sleeping pills. Shutterstock.

Try Other Methods for a Good Night of Sleep

While sleeping pills do offer short-term benefits, they aren’t really meant to be a long-term solution. They do have a purpose for those nights when a particularly stressful event or a death in the family are interrupting sleep. However, research shows that people who take sleeping pills only fall asleep 8-20 minutes faster. This means total, you might only be improving your sleep duration by about 35 minutes.

Developing good nighttime habits remain one of the best ways to help yourself get a full night of rest. Aside from underlying medical conditions keeping you up, the average person can have good quality sleep by practicing sleep hygiene. Plus, doing things like properly unwinding at night is a lot safer for your body and naturally promotes the production of serotonin which makes it easier to sleep.

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If you aren’t waking well-rested even with good sleep hygiene, talk to your doctor. Shutterstock.

If Improving Your Sleep Hygiene Doesn’t Help…

For some people, improving sleep hygiene doesn’t necessarily fix their ability to sleep. If you have tried having a better sleep routine, relaxing before bed, unplugging from electronics, and making your sleep environment one that supports a good night of rest and it still doesn’t help, it may be time to talk to your doctor about other possible causes.

In most cases, your doctor will ask questions about your nightly routine and the place where you sleep. Try to answer as honestly as possible, even if the answer isn’t one that your doctor necessarily likes hearing. In most cases, your doctor will use this information and possibly do additional tests to find out what exactly is causing your sleeping troubles.

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Sometimes, your doctor may recommend a sleep study to find out what’s going on. Shutterstock.

Find Out if a Sleeping Disorder is to Blame

In most cases where another cause can’t be identified, doctors will recommend a sleep study. It’s not like you can really monitor yourself sleeping, so this gives professionals a chance to find out what’s going on. In addition to disrupting your sleep, conditions like sleep apnea actually block your airways and stop your ability to breathe, so they can be dangerous.

Also, keep in mind that sleep apnea isn’t the only sleeping disorder that you may struggle with. Insomnia, RLS, circadian rhythm disorders, narcolepsy, and even snoring can disrupt your ability to get a full night of sleep. Children may also struggle with night terrors, while pregnant women might not be able to sleep because of the increase of hormones from being pregnant. The only way to find out the exact cause is by working with someone who specializes in sleep.

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