There are lots of things that can stop us from sleeping. Insomnia or restless, broken sleep is not only frustrating, but it can also have negative effects on your life and mood. This in turn can harm your work and relationships, so you really do need to get it sorted. Below are just a few of the most common reasons for broken sleep. Do any of these sound familiar?
Back problems
Bodily discomfort can easily stop you sleeping. If you can find no comfortable position to lie in, then there’s little chance of you drifting off. Throughout the night, back problems can worsen as you remain uncomfortable, leaving you feeling terrible in the morning. If your problems persist, you might need to see your GP, but simply changing your sleep set-up could work wonders to ease back pain.
Replacing an old, soft mattress with a firmer one, investing in memory foam mattresses or even opting for an adjustable bed could help you rest more peacefully. For example, Adjustamatic beds enable you to change the position of both your upper and lower body at the press of a button. If you struggle to find a suitable sleeping position, technology like this could be exactly what you need to enhance your slumber.
Stress and anxiety
Worrying about something, even if you can’t quite put your finger on what that something is, will inevitably stop you sleeping. It can be a vicious cycle, where anxiety about things like work and relationships keeps you awake or interrupts your sleep, and then you start worrying about not getting enough sleep.
Serious problems should be treated by a medical professional, but sleep experts recommend reading a few pages of a book or doing a puzzle whenever anxiety strikes. This can take your mind off what is worrying you, giving you a better chance of actually getting to sleep when you want.
Diet
Lots of things that we eat and drink before bed can disturb sleep. There are the obvious things like caffeine and spicy, heavy meals, which can cause heartburn. However, seemingly innocuous things like drinking too much camomile tea before bed can also affect your sleep, as it can wake you up with the need to go to the toilet throughout the night.
Alcohol is another sleep disrupter that not many people know about. Some people think a drink or two before bed will help them sleep, but alcohol consumed too close to bedtime can seriously disrupt the second half of the sleep cycle.
Whatever’s keeping you up at night, you don’t have to put up with it. Head to your doctor for more advice and help, and get those sleep problems sorted.