Good Lifestyle

We were all there: throw and turn, terrified to watch the clock, trying not to calculate the number of hours of sleep that you could still get if you fall asleep right away . When I'm blind with a against insomnia , I generally don't know what's behind. I try to practice good sleep hygiene while keeping the room as dark, fresh and calm as possible (not easy in New York), putting my phone in another room before bed and firing it A simple bedtime routine This signals my body, it's time to rest. However, sometimes I can't sleep. Could something I do during the day be the culprit? After doing research and talking to sleep experts, it turns out that the answer is a Yes . Read more to discover about five common day habits that can keep you awake at night.

Read this then: What's going on if you take Benadryl before going to bed every night, say the doctors .

The next time you find it difficult to get a solid shuteye, think about what you have eaten lately. According to a May 2023 study published in Obesity , research participants who consumed a diet rich in sugar, saturated fats and processed foods for a week poor quality sleep than those who have followed a healthy diet.

"We have examined the activity of slow waves, a measure that can reflect How deep restful sleep is », Co-author of the study Jonathan Cedernaes , MD, PHD, said through the press release. "Curiously, we have seen that deep sleep presented an activity with slow waves less when the participants had eaten junk food, compared to the consumption of healthier foods. This effect also lasted a second night, once we have changed the participants in an identical diet. "

Thus, while loading candy, packaged snacks and fatty foods may not prevent you from falling asleep, the rest you get could be little of high quality - and Cedennaes said that the diet may have an impact even more important on sleep than the study.

"Our food intervention was ... quite short, and the sugar and fat content could have been higher, he noted." It is possible that even more unhealthy diet has had more pronounced effects on sleep. ""

If you work a job that forces you to sit for most of the day, you may have a hard time falling asleep at night, said Jade Wu , PHD, DBSM and Sleep Health Expert of the mattress company .

"We must be active during the day to gain good quality sleep at night," she said Better life .

"It is for two reasons: 1) We must be active to save homeostatic sleep collection, the" hunger "of sleep that accumulates during the day we are awake and active; 2) when we are active during the Day, we give our brain a very clear signal that our active hours are hours of day, which helps the brain to differentiate itself from day and night, which allows it to make us more awake during the day and more sleepy The night, "explains Wu.

Since many of us have no choice - some jobs simply force us to sit down - try to take regular breaks and move your body whenever you can. A daily walk can help!

Read this then: 8 ways to motivate you to take a daily walk .

In summer, I find myself waking up with the sun, around 5 am, no matter the time I turned the day before. Jill zwarensteyn , certified sleep science coach and Sleep hygiene expert At Sleep Advisor, says that's just how we are wired AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"Our circadian rhythm works with an exposure to light. During the day when we are exposed to light, it signals to the brain that it is the day," she told me. "When night falls, the brain knows it's time to rest, and that's where Increase in melatonin production Start to promote sleep. ""

She says that it means that not having enough light during the day can throw your circadian rhythm, which makes it more difficult to fall - and stay - as asleep. So, if you have trouble sleeping at night, be sure to throw these curtains and let the sun shine during the day.

"We are animals of the day, so we have to get a lot of light during the day to be energetic when we have to be awake and be sleepy when we have to sleep," add Wu. She recommends getting at least 30 minutes to time outside the sun every day.

This one is not surprising for me, a admitted nap since childhood. (They make me grumpy and foggy for the rest of the day - the more I always seem have nightmares When I sit.) Zwarensteyn justifies me, explaining that making a nap too long or a nap late during the day, can make it difficult to fall asleep at night.

"As a rule, keep the naps below 30 minutes and take them before 3 pm," she said. "I also recommend finding a fresh, dark and calm space to take your nap in order to make the most of this, because these conditions better favor sleep."

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With so many of us who work remotely these days, it is quite common to work in your room. A 2021 study revealed that 31% of workers at a distance have Install their office in their room (and 38% work from their real bed!). It is not ideal for sleep, however, says Zwarensteyn.

"If possible, avoid working in your room so that you can mentally separate the work environment from your rest environment," she recommends.

Wu adds that work stress can also interfere with sleep.

"If we are overstimulated all day with stressful tasks, multitasking, distraction of social media and everything else, we don't have the chance to decrease," she said. "It makes the end of the body and the mind for sleep more difficult. We should take breaks (including screens) during the day to allow our body to calm down and feel safe."

Best Life offers the most up -to -date information for high -level experts, new research and health agencies, but our content is not supposed to replace professional advice. If you have health questions or concerns, always consult your health care provider directly.