If there’s no amount of lavender spray and breathing techniques that’ll keep your head on the pillow, there could be something else amiss.
Often, the things keeping you up at night aren’t what you’d expect. Putting aside the obvious habits and patterns that lead to sleep deprivation, we’ve busted a few unexpected factors that are preventing you from getting your full eight hours.
Forget caviar and diamonds, in 2019 – sleep is the ultimate luxury.
Sleep Thief #1
You Left Your Bed Unmade
Make your bed, change your life. Not only is pulling the corners of your sheets one of the easiest success habits to set you up for a productive day, it also helps you sleep at night. A neatly made bed is simply more inviting – it’s a cozy space that makes your body want to spend the next eight or so hours in it. A messy, untended to bed will have the opposite effect. For even better shut-eye, change your sheets regularly – the fresh, clean smell will get you comfy and dozing off in no time.
Sleep Thief #2
You’re Working Out Too Late
Are you working out when you should be winding down? Exercising is one of the best ways to ensure a solid sleep – so surely that late-night boxing session should get you feeling exhausted and sleepy? As it turns out, no. Intense activity close to bedtime is going to amp up the adrenaline in your brain, so while your body might be tired – your mind is buzzing. To avoid this happening, simply make sure you leave a couple hours in between your gym sesh and your sleep sesh.
Sleep Thief #3
You’re Low in Calcium
You already know that having a few cheeky glasses of red before bed will sabotage your sleep, but did you know a lack of calcium could be doing the same? This under-the-radar sleep thief is especially common in women – and really impacts your ability to relax and sleep soundly. What can you do to inject more calcium into your diet, you ask? Well, boosting your Vitamin D intake will make calcium easier to absorb. Also try to eat a healthy balance of eggs, salmon and turkey – or tempeh, nuts and seeds if you’re vegan. This will increase your melatonin levels and help you nod off in an au-naturale manner.
Sleep Thief #4
You Slept in on Sunday
Is you weekend lie-in doing you a disservice? Snoozing all Sunday might make you feel like you’re catching up on your sleep, but it’s actually stealing zzz’s from the rest of your week. You see, deviating too far from your regular sleep routine will get your body a bit dazed and confused – making it more difficult to keep regular hours throughout the week.
Sleep Thief #5
Your Bedroom Door’s Shut
It’s natural to feel like closing the door on the outside world will insulate your room for a quiet night’s rest, but alas, it isn’t so. Leaving your bedroom door open will actually improve your sleep quality. Open spaces have lower levels of carbon dioxide and more ventilation, meaning both you and your room will be cooler (a cooler body opens up your ‘sleep gate’) and wake less through the night.
