5 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Sleep

We all know that getting plenty of sleep is important. It’s the key to being happier, more productive, and the best version of ourselves. Yet, around 70% of British adults sleep for seven hours or less per night, according to the Sleep Council’s Great British Bedtime Report. The study highlights that our quality of sleep could do with some improvements, too.

If you spend your days counting down the hours until you can crawl back into bed, it’s time to make some changes to the way you sleep. Here, we’ve outlined some of the most common ways you could be sabotaging your slumber, and explained how to fix them. Read on to find out how you could get a better night’s sleep.

Your bedroom is too cluttered

Having a cluttered bedroom can put you at a higher risk of suffering from sleeping problems, according to a study conducted by St. Lawrence University. Having an untidy living space can increase your stress levels which, in turn, can make it difficult for you to get to sleep at night. If you’re having trouble nodding off, giving your room a quick tidy could be the answer.

If you struggle to keep on top of things, we would recommend picking up a copy of Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying. It’s full of valuable advice on how to keep your home organised and free of unnecessary clutter.

You don’t have the right mattress

We’ll ultimately spend around a third of our lives in bed, according to the BBC. To ensure that you get the most out of the time you spend sleeping, it’s important that you have a high-quality mattress that will ensure you’re comfortable night after night.

Memory foam mattresses are a very popular choice, and with good reason. They offer a great deal of support, and can help to ensure your spine is always properly aligned. This can help to alleviate back pain and body aches, as well as prevent spinal problems in the long run. If you think your mattress could be ruining your quality of sleep, Dormeo offers memory foam plus mattresses in a variety of sizes, from a single to a super king. All of their mattresses are delivered for free, too.

There’s too much blue light

Blue light will keep you awake, whether it’s from your phone screen, your home’s lightbulbs, or the sun. It’s wise to limit your exposure to light in the hour or two before you plan to go to bed.

If you often find yourself scrolling through Instagram and liking Tweets while you’re lying in bed, you can reduce the effect this has on your sleep by using the ‘night shift’ mode that many smartphones now come with. This will put a filter on your screen and reduce the amount of blue light emitted.

It’s also a good idea to invest in some blackout blinds — especially for the summer months. This will help to make sure that you aren’t woken up by the early-rising sun. Direct Blinds offer affordable blackout roller blinds that are available in a huge range of designs. Take a look to find some that suit your bedroom’s décor perfectly.

Your bedroom’s too warm

The optimum bedroom temperature is 16 to 20°C, according to Sleep.org. If your sleeping space is much colder or warmer than this, you’re likely to have trouble falling asleep, and the quality of your REM (rapid eye movement) sleep could be affected. This means your batteries might not be properly recharged when you wake up the next morning.

When you’re falling asleep, your body temperature decreases. If you’re having trouble nodding off and are starting to feel restless, try turning down your thermostat. It could be the answer to your problem.

You don’t have a bedtime routine

Having a calming bedtime routine is important for both adults and children, according to Harvard Medical School. If you put together a small sequence of things you do before bed, your little routine will soon begin to trick your brain into winding down for the night.

Your routine should include relaxing things, such as turning down the lights, taking your makeup off for the day, making yourself a hot (decaffeinated) drink, and reading a light book. If you follow it night after night, you’ll soon have no problems falling asleep.

If you struggle to fall asleep or often find it hard to get out of bed in the morning, consider whether you could make any of these changes. When you’re much happier and more productive, you’ll be glad you did!