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Improve your sleep by not doing these things

A good night’s rest provides mental and physical health benefits including more energy, better mood and stronger immune system. While many people know what they should do for a good night’s sleep, there are many things that we should NOT do before going tp bed to help us sleep better. If you are suffering from poor sleep or insomnia it is likely you are unintentionally doing certain activities before bedtime that may be the cause of this.

Here are seven activities that you should NOT do before bed to ensure you sleep well. 

Exercise Intensely

Exercise is an important activity that keeps us healthy and actually helps us sleep well if we do it correctly. However, exercising at a high intensity within a few hours of going to bed can raise our body temperature and metabolism and make it hard to fall asleep. Stick to gentle exercise before bed.

Watch TV or Use a Computer or Smartphone

There have been studies linking the use of electronic screens to an inability to fall asleep easily. These screens emit bright light which disturbs the body’s ability to properly produce the sleep hormone melatonin. They also emit a type of blue light which prevents the production of melatonin even more than regular light. Make sure to turn off all screens about an hour or two before bed if you struggle with sleep problems.

Drink a lot of fluids

Drinking a lot of any liquid before bed may lead to a night of disturbed sleep as your bladder will keep waking you up and you may find it difficult to fall back to sleep. Always keep a glass of water beside your bed in case you get thirsty in the night but don’t drink a lot of fluids for a couple of hours before bed.

Invite your pets to sleep in your bed

We all adore our pets and many of us don’t want to turn them away for a bed-time snuggle. However, pets can take up a lot of space in the bed, make you uncomfortable and generally disturb your sleep throughout the night. Their hair can also cause you to have allergies and breathing trouble which doesn’t benefit sleep either.

Start a fight or an intense conversation

If you have an argument or intense discussion before bed it can cause the release of the stress hormone cortisol and prevent you from falling asleep. This is part of the body’s defence mechanism as it does not want to sleep if it is in perceived danger. We also tend to replay fights over and over in our head which can make falling asleep a challenge.

Drink coffee and tea

Coffee and black, green and white tea all contain caffeine which is a stimulant that gives us mental and physical energy and prevents many people from falling asleep. In certain people caffeine can stay in the body for up to 12 hours and so even a morning cup of coffee or tea can disturb sleep for these individuals.

Keep your bedroom too hot

Our body temperature drops during the night and our lower temperature helps us to sleep comfortably with a blanket and not get too got. You don’t need to keep your room freezing, but don’t turn the heat up or sleep with too many blankets as this can prevent you from falling asleep and staying asleep.

Sources

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20905916,00.html
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/stop-doing-these-things-before-sleep.html