Ok so I might have the WORST SLEEPING HABITS. I have been a bad sleeper since I can remember. My Mom said I was a good sleeper as a baby and a kid but I remember around middle school my sleeping problems beginning. The first being I CAN'T FALL ASLEEP at night. I used to sleep with a radio so I could listen to music to keep me entertained at night when the lights had to be off. This problem of not being able to fall asleep still continues in adulthood for me. Today I'm going over some of the worst sleep habits, I literally have all of them... then next week I will post about healthy sleep habits and hopefully this blog post will help me implement them into my life and help me kick these bad habits.
I am writing this blog post as I sip a glass of wine at 9pm on my computer. I also took a 25 minute nap today and definitely don't have a set bedtime tonight. I have done a few days of research and these 5 things were the VERY WORST things you could be doing. And I'm basically doing them all, although I do believe that I DO NEED 8 hours of sleep a night. Let's dig into why these are so bad for you.
1. No Set Bed Time (or wake up time)- Your body is a creature of habit. I see this in my son. He goes to bed between 8-8:30pm most nights and is up between 7:30-8am most mornings. Having a child has helped me with a set wake up time but not a set time for bed. Having a set bed time just sets up for success. But the fine line is figuring out what a good bed time is for you.
2. Electronics In Bed- Electronic activities that are interactive like emailing, commenting, texting, posting on Facebook or instagram prevent your brain from shutting down and can promote insomnia. They may also keep your mind running a million miles an hour after you have turned them off. So it is best before bed to stay away from anything too stimulating like social media (ahem yeah right). I personally listen to audio books to help fall asleep. This helps me wind down without having the bright light from my phone in my face. Although many nights I get really into my book and I will stay away for an hour listening to it. Maybe that just means I'm going to bed too early.
3. Thinking You Need 8 Hours Of Sleep- According to my research most adults don't get or need precisely 8 hours of sleep every night. Some people need more and some need less. So it is best to figure out how many hours you need. If you have the luxury or no kids waking you up try on a weekend going to bed at a normal time and letting yourself wake up without an alarm clock. After doing this a few times, you should be able to see how many hours of sleep your body is requiring. I never wake up without an alarm I just wake up when Leo wakes up but the last few months I have started waking up prior to him which is letting me know that I think I've had enough sleep for the day! My body roughly wants between 8-8.5 hrs. So according to this I should go to bed around 11.
4. Naps- A nap can be your bff or worst enemy. A quick middle of the day 20 minute nap is great and shouldn't mess with your sleep. But a longer nap that requires you to wake up from a deeper sleep with leave you feeling groggy the rest of the day and will interfere with your bed time. Even a short nap early in the evening will be personal sabotage to a good nights sleep.
5. Caffeine and Alcohol- I am just putting this out there that I hate this one....
It’s no secret that caffeine can keep you awake, but many people underestimate the affect it has on your system. Caffeine can still be in your system 8 hours after your last coffee so avoid drinking caffeine too late in the day.
I know for a fact that a big glass of red wine make me feel drowsy.... But as your body metabolizes the alcohol while you sleep. So having a drink or two before bed can actually wake up later in the night and prevent your body from entering deeper, more restorative phases of sleep. *this might be why I wake up once a week at 3am for an entire hour.
1. No Set Bed Time (or wake up time)- Your body is a creature of habit. I see this in my son. He goes to bed between 8-8:30pm most nights and is up between 7:30-8am most mornings. Having a child has helped me with a set wake up time but not a set time for bed. Having a set bed time just sets up for success. But the fine line is figuring out what a good bed time is for you.
2. Electronics In Bed- Electronic activities that are interactive like emailing, commenting, texting, posting on Facebook or instagram prevent your brain from shutting down and can promote insomnia. They may also keep your mind running a million miles an hour after you have turned them off. So it is best before bed to stay away from anything too stimulating like social media (ahem yeah right). I personally listen to audio books to help fall asleep. This helps me wind down without having the bright light from my phone in my face. Although many nights I get really into my book and I will stay away for an hour listening to it. Maybe that just means I'm going to bed too early.
3. Thinking You Need 8 Hours Of Sleep- According to my research most adults don't get or need precisely 8 hours of sleep every night. Some people need more and some need less. So it is best to figure out how many hours you need. If you have the luxury or no kids waking you up try on a weekend going to bed at a normal time and letting yourself wake up without an alarm clock. After doing this a few times, you should be able to see how many hours of sleep your body is requiring. I never wake up without an alarm I just wake up when Leo wakes up but the last few months I have started waking up prior to him which is letting me know that I think I've had enough sleep for the day! My body roughly wants between 8-8.5 hrs. So according to this I should go to bed around 11.
4. Naps- A nap can be your bff or worst enemy. A quick middle of the day 20 minute nap is great and shouldn't mess with your sleep. But a longer nap that requires you to wake up from a deeper sleep with leave you feeling groggy the rest of the day and will interfere with your bed time. Even a short nap early in the evening will be personal sabotage to a good nights sleep.
5. Caffeine and Alcohol- I am just putting this out there that I hate this one....
It’s no secret that caffeine can keep you awake, but many people underestimate the affect it has on your system. Caffeine can still be in your system 8 hours after your last coffee so avoid drinking caffeine too late in the day.
I know for a fact that a big glass of red wine make me feel drowsy.... But as your body metabolizes the alcohol while you sleep. So having a drink or two before bed can actually wake up later in the night and prevent your body from entering deeper, more restorative phases of sleep. *this might be why I wake up once a week at 3am for an entire hour.
Needless to say if these are some of your habits I suggest breaking them! Next week I'll be back with a blog post about breaking these bad sleeping habits and also a few things that will help you get a good nights sleep.
Cheers and happy sleep my friends,
Jess
Cheers and happy sleep my friends,
Jess
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