Lifestyle

8 Other Causes of Insomnia You Must Know Other Than Having Too Much Caffeine

2016-12-22 , 12:15 pm

Ever have trouble falling asleep even after a long day? Still can’t fall asleep even though you didn’t drink any coffee? This may be due to your diet, sleeping habits and lifestyle habits that you may not know is affecting your sleep.

Here is a list of causes of insomnia that you may want to take note.

1. Alcohol

While alcohol may allow you to fall asleep quickly, you may wake up after a few hours or even less. As the alcohol wears out, your body can come out of deep sleep and go back into Rapid Eye Movement(REM) sleep, which is the initial stage of your sleep cycle, allowing you to wake up easily. Therefore, try not to drink close to bedtime. Give your body at least an hour to process the alcohol before you sleep.

2. Heavy Meals

When you eat too much in the evening or near to your bedtime, it can cause your body discomfort and makes it difficult for your body to settle down and sleep. Furthermore, when you have a heavy meal before you sleep, your body will be busy breaking down food substances instead of restoring and repairing itself. Therefore, try to avoid eating too much in the evening and give your body enough time to digest the food.

3. Working before you sleep

I am sure that people out there always use their phones or watch television right before they sleep. Many think that it is harmless to relax and unwind before sleeping by watching your favourite TV show but it actually affects your sleep. The suspense may leave you nervous and anxious, contributing to your tossing and turning. Also, your brain will be active and not ready for sleep.

4. Naps

Sometimes we cannot help but take naps in the afternoon and may nap for as long as hours. This simply causes our body to be too alert to sleep at our usual sleeping time. Thus, the recommended nap time is below one hour in the afternoon so as to not affect your sleep at night.

5. Messed up body clock

On weekends, we often sleep in to make up for the lost sleep on weekdays. This can confuse your body clock and makes it difficult for you to fall asleep at night. A confused body clock can cause difficulty in sleeping and makes you even more tired. So, the best thing to do is still get enough sleep every night instead of making up for lost sleep.

6. Anxiety

Symptoms of anxiety are thinking about future events, getting caught in past events, feelings of overwhelmed by responsibilities and much more. The quiet and inactivity of the night can bring on these thoughts, making hard for you to sleep. This is why it is recommended that people should not be watching TV or use their phones before bedtime so as to clear your mind and prepare for bedtime.

7. Travel or work schedule

Your circadian rhythm works as an internal body clock that guides your body on things such as sleep cycle. Jet lag from travelling to different time zones and working different work shifts can all affect your circadian rhythm, causing insomnia.

8. Medications

Many over-the-counter medications such as weight loss pills, allergy medicines and pain medicines contain stimulants that keep you awake. Thus, it is recommended that you consult a doctor or get prescribed medicine from a doctor if your insomnia lasts for a long time.

With this list mind, try to avoid certain food, stimulants or any activity that can affect your sleep so that your body is able to recharge itself after a good night sleep.

Featured image: Ninja SS / Shutterstock.com

This article was first published on http://goodyfeed.com/