7 Bad Sleep Habits to Ditch Tonight

We’ve all been there: lying awake in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, unable to drop off to sleep no matter what we try. Maybe the reason you can’t sleep is because you’ve got thoughts racing around your head. Or perhaps your neighbors are making so much noise that it’s impossible to nod off. (Been there, done that. I definitely don’t miss those days!)

Stress could be the reason behind your inability to fall asleep. From work stress and family stress to financial stress and health stress, there are so many different kinds of worries that can keep us awake at night. I’m sure many of us have recently spent sleepless nights tossing and turning because there’s so much uncertainty in the current world.

You might even be so tired that you simply can’t fall asleep. It sounds bizarre, but it’s true.

Sleep affects your body in more ways than you know

Regardless of what’s keeping you up at night, it’s important you figure it out right now. Not getting enough sleep doesn’t just mean you spend the next day yawning and staring at the coffee pot. When you regularly lose sleep, all sorts of terrible things happen to your body, from increasing your risk of cancer to gaining weight.

When I start a coaching program with a new health client, one of the very first questions I ask is about their sleeping habits. It’s a great way to understand their overall health. I ask about whether they’re sleep deprived, getting too much sleep, experiencing interrupted sleep or have generally poor sleeping habits.

7 bad habits to ditch for better sleep

After years of working with people struggling to get a good night’s rest, I thought it’s time to share some of the most common bad sleeping habits to ditch right away.

1.     Technology in bed: Scrolling through social media, watching TV shows and movies, playing video games and doing work on your laptop are all bad habits you need to ditch to get a better night’s sleep. Here’s the scoop: the blue light screens emit restricts our ability to produce the hormone melatonin.

Not being able to make enough of this natural hormone disrupts our bodies’ circadian rhythm, resulting in irregular sleep. This isn’t the only way using tech in bed can cause restless nights.

When you’re on your phone, scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, it’s almost impossible not to compare your everyday life with people’s best lives that they post online. Falling asleep and sleeping are meant to be peaceful and happy, not disappointing and unpleasant. 

2.     Cell phone next to your bed: I know what you’re thinking: “Lisa, you literally just mentioned technology in bed!” But having your cell phone next to your bed deserves its own section because it’s a major challenge for so many people.

This is a reminder not only for you, but for me as well because I’ve personally been struggling with this one. Having your phone next to you on your nightstand makes it incredibly tempting to check email, answer text messages, scroll through social media or read the news before catching some z's. When you check your phone, it stimulates your brain and negatively impacts your sleep.

3.     Late dinner or snacking: It’s late, you’ve already had dinner but you’re still hungry. Do you eat something now or wait until morning? This happens to me when I haven’t eaten enough throughout the day or my dinner wasn’t substantial enough.
When this happens, I check in with my body to help me decide what to do.  As a society, we spend too much time talking about what we eat instead of when we eat. The time you consume food greatly affects your sleep.

When you eat, your body releases insulin in a process which affects your circadian rhythm. Eating a late-night dinner or snack can signal wakefulness in the brain, stopping you from getting a good night’s sleep. Eating then laying down shortly after causes acid reflux: another thing that can prevent you from sleeping. 

4.     Drinking alcohol or caffeine close to bedtime: You’re struggling to get to sleep and you can’t work out why. Then you remember you decided to grab a macchiato with your coworker at lunch which means you’ve had two coffees today. It seemed like a great idea at the time, but you’re having second thoughts now you’re wide awake when you should be fast asleep.

I’m always amazed how some people can drink coffee before bed and easily fall asleep shortly after. No matter how much I try, I’m definitely not one of those people. I have a major sensitivity to caffeine and will experience a racing heart rate and insomnia after just one cup. Over the past couple years, I’ve significantly limited my caffeine intake and my sleep has drastically improved as a result.

Caffeine blocks adenosine, a chemical that makes you feel sleepy. When your body doesn’t produce enough adenosine, you suffer from bedtime insomnia. 

Having a glass of wine or two before bedtime also suppresses the melatonin we all need for our circadian rhythm. I’ve fully eliminated alcohol from my diet and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’m not saying you have to give up caffeine and alcohol entirely. But pay attention to how much you drink, when you drink it and how your body responds.

5.     Looking at work, the news or anything stressful prior to bed: 2020 has been A YEAR! I would be lying if I said I wasn’t experiencing stress or anxiety from reading the news.
In January, I packed my bags (actually it was a small carry-on) when news of COVID-19 hit the media and I headed to my second home: Thailand. Seven months later and I’m still here, waiting to return to my flat in China.

Since January, I’ve been following global headlines and staying up-to-date on the latest coronavirus info, which borders are open/closed and visa news. I’ve found that reading the news just before bedtime is very unsettling.

The waves of stress and anxiety roll over me and come crashing down. Working late night hours just before bed or crunching your budget numbers can also stimulate the brain and cause an unsettling feeling before eventually crawling into bed.

6.     Messy space: On Fridays I’ve started a new routine of running 6k in the morning before coming home and quickly changing for my yin yoga class. I always leave a pile of my workout stuff and running shoes on the floor.

Clutter really does behave like a magnet. Because all of a sudden, after rushing to change and jump on a conference call, my yoga clothes are in that pile, too. Before I know it, there are stacks of clothes, books and hair accessories scattered all around my bedroom.

At least once or twice every year I Marie Kondo my space and life. If you don’t know who Marie Kondo is, check out her website and get ready to be amazed.

I’ve always been someone who has to clean and organize before work in order to have a productive day. Marie Kondo is all about bringing more joy into your life. And y’all, having a clean and organized bedroom allows you to bring more sleep into your life. If your bedroom space is cluttered and disorganized it is impacting your sleep, even if you think it isn’t.

7.     Inconsistent sleep schedule: It’s Sunday afternoon and you are feeling oh-so tired after a Saturday night out and you drift off into an afternoon nap. I’ve always believed that if you fall asleep right away during the day, your body must really need sleep and you should honor that.

If you’re feeling sleepy while reading this, I suggest you honor your body, give it some rest and maybe you’ll fall asleep. I won’t be offended at all! I’d be happy to hear that you’re listening to your body.

Here’s the thing, if you nap for longer than 60 minutes, you can feel even more tired when you wake up than you did before you fell asleep. Have one too many naps and you’ll find it more challenging than ever to fall asleep at night.

If your body is crying out for sleep in the middle of the day, it’s a good idea to have a nap. Just try to keep it under 60 minutes and avoid it becoming a regular habit. It’s a much better idea to get all your sleep in one go at night than spreading it out between multiple naps.

Now that you’re aware of the most common reasons that stop people from getting to sleep at night, you’re on the right track to sleeping like a baby!

Quiz

How many of the above bad sleeping habits do you suffer from? One? Two? All seven? If you struggle with four or more of these unhealthy sleeping habits, you should definitely sign up for my newsletter. After ditching bad habits, the next step is to create good habits that promote a healthy sleeping pattern. My next post is about seven healthy sleep habits that will completely transform your nighttime routine. When you sign up for my newsletter, it will land straight in your inbox.

How do you sleep?

Why do you struggle to sleep? Is it because of one of the above points or a completely different reason? I really want to lend a helping hand. So leave a comment below and I’ll try and help you get a better night’s rest.