How to Get Better Sleep: 6 Habits That Are Disrupting Your Sleep Cycle

You know to pass on a late-night latte if you have any intention of falling asleep at a reasonable time. You’re also pretty good about limiting yourself to one episode on Netflix, instead of binge-watching into the wee hours of the night. However, what you may not realize is that there are plenty of other sneaky habits in your nighttime routine that could be standing in the way of restful sleep.

A consistent sleep schedule and getting good sleep is important for lots of reasons: According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, it helps to keep your body healthy and mind refreshed. It improves mood, reduces stress and decreases your risk for health issues like diabetes and heart disease. Plus, it can even help you keep your weight loss on track. To get the most out of your shuteye, make sure you avoid these six sleep-sabotaging habits!

5 Ways Sleep Deprivation is Affecting Your Weight

Read More

1. You Facebook before bed.

Man looking at a smart phone late at night.

You intend a quick check but end up in a rabbit hole of posts and pictures. Not only will you lose much-needed sleep to endless scrolling but the mere act of tapping through your smartphone to scan social media or logging onto your laptop to send a late-night email keeps your brain on high alert and your body wide-awake. Plus, the light from the screen may also hinder the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you get a more restful sleep. “Blue light can also reduce the amount of time you spend in slow-wave and rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, two stages of the sleep cycle that are vital for cognitive functioning,” says the National Sleep Foundation.

Reduce your screen time by unplugging from all electronics at least an hour before bed—including the TV. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “The hour before bed should consist of relaxing activities that don’t involve devices with screens.

2. You skip your workout.

Person napping on bed in workout clothes to get better sleep.

Regular physical activity not only helps you fall asleep more quickly but it also plunges you into deeper slumber for a longer period of time. According to Sleep.org, “People who get the recommended amount of exercise are 65 percent less likely to feel drowsy during the day. That may be because exercisers fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and have higher-quality shut-eye than non-exercisers.”

One very important caveat: don’t work up a sweat too close to bedtime. Intense exercise can raise your core body temperature and trigger the release of hormones that make it harder to unwind and drift off to dreamland, says The Better Sleep Council. Save the heavy-duty exercise for at least four hours before bed; closer to snooze-time, stick to yoga or stretching.

Boost weight loss and improve your slumber with this before-bed exercise routine! >

3. You eat dinner late.

Man eating a late-night meal in front of laptop before sleep

Sometimes you can’t help it: a never-ending work meeting, unexpected traffic or extra innings at your kid’s baseball game may set your evening meal back. Eating a big dinner right before bed could leave you tossing and turning with indigestion and heartburn as your body works to digest your food—particularly if it’s heavy or spicy, says the National Sleep Foundation. Ideally, The Better Sleep Council recommends trying to eat two to three hours before you go bed. If unforeseen circumstances delay dinner, keep your last meal light.

The Importance of Good Sleep and Staying Healthy

Read More

4. You sleep in on weekends.

A woman pressing the snooze button early in the day to get better sleep.

Grabbing extra ZZZ’s certainly seems like a smart idea. However, doing so may actually mess with your sleep cycle. Of all the advice you hear and read, the most important is to stick to a sleep schedule. That means going to bed the same time every night and getting up the same hour every morning—even on weekends. “Being consistent reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycle,” says Mayo Clinic. So, how much sleep do you really need? The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours each night for adults and seven to eight hours for older adults (65 or older).

5. You sip a nightcap with the evening news.

Two women having popcorn and wine in the evening

Alcohol may make you tired, but a glass or two of wine won’t help you sleep soundly. The effects of alcohol on sleep are well known. Research shows that drinking alcohol before bed keeps you from reaching the deep, restorative stages of sleep, says TheSleepDoctor.com. Instead, patterns will more closely resemble a resting state, resulting in waking up tired and bleary-eyed. TheSleepDoctor.com recommends avoiding alcohol within three hours of bedtime.

6. You lay awake in bed.

Person lying in bed, unable to get better sleep.

You fluff and re-fluff your pillow, adjust and readjust your blankets and get all kinds of frustrated. If this happens a lot, you may start to associate your bed with anxiety and not being asleep. “It helps to have a healthy mental connection between being in bed and actually being asleep.  For that reason, if after 20 minutes you haven’t gotten to sleep, get up and stretch, read, or do something else calming in low light before trying to fall asleep again.” says the National Sleep Foundation.

10 Tips to Boost Your Immune System

Read More

The post How to Get Better Sleep: 6 Habits That Are Disrupting Your Sleep Cycle appeared first on The Leaf.



source https://leaf.nutrisystem.com/how-to-get-better-sleep/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7 Science-Backed Ways to Make Your New Year Habits Stick

Image
A healthy lifestyle is built from healthy habits. Instead of motivating yourself each time you want to exercise, eat healthy portions, get adequate sleep or meditate, these behaviors become automatic … the same way putting on your seat belt is automatic when you get in a car, or grabbing your phone to scroll is automatic when you feel a little bored. But building those habits takes time. You may have heard that a new habit takes 21 days to form, but it can take much longer. In a 2009 study , scientists found that new habits took an average of 66 days to take hold. For some participants, habits took up to 254 days—most of a year—to stick. So give yourself time, and help yourself along with these seven research-backed ways to reinforce your new year habits. 1. Make your new year habit specific and bite-sized. In a study , researchers found that smaller goals work better. One group of children were assigned to try to do six pages of math problems in each of seven study sessions. Ano
Read more

10 Healthy Air Fryer Chicken Recipes

Image
Who doesn’t love fried chicken? “Don’t rub it in,” you’re thinking. “With all the fat and calories, I’ll never have fried chicken again.” Part of that is true. Just 3.5 ounces of fast food fried chicken has almost 400 calories and over 29 grams of fat. It’s neither slimming nor healthy. But you can have fried chicken again! The magic of the air fryer—a countertop appliance that uses hot air to mimic deep-fat frying with little or no oil—puts “fried” chicken on the menu, crispy coating and all. And it’s all guilt-free! Satisfy your fried chicken cravings with these 10 Nutrisystem-tested-and-approved healthy air fryer chicken recipes. 1. Air Fryer Honey Mustard Chicken Bites This marinade is as simple as it is heavenly: spicy brown mustard, honey and black pepper. Simple coat bite-sized pieces of boneless chicken breast in half the marinade. Ten minutes later, it’s into the air fryer for eight minutes per side. Finally, toss the chicken in the rest of the marinade. At only 144 c
Read more

12 Strawberry Recipes Sweet Enough to Eat

Image
Most people are surprised to learn that strawberries aren’t actually berries at all—botanically speaking, that is. This member of the rose family is the enlarged receptacle of a flower. Regardless of its origins, the strawberry is a delicious and healthy fruit that is packed with vitamins and minerals. In fact, strawberries are actually higher in vitamin C and lower in calories than oranges. They also contain folate, potassium, manganese, dietary fiber and magnesium. This makes strawberry recipes the ultimate healthy treat. In addition to being nutritious, strawberries are also an incredibly versatile fruit that fits perfectly into Nutrisystem weight loss plans . They can be sliced, baked, pureed or even just eaten whole. Their sweet flavor makes them ideal for healthy snacks and desserts that will satisfy a sweet tooth without derailing one’s healthy lifestyle. Check out these 12 healthy and easy strawberry recipes! 1. Sweet Strawberry Cheesecake Pudding > If you love strawbe
Read more