6 Unhealthy Habits You Need to Stop If You Want To Sleep Better

It's no secret that we're missing at least five extra hours on an average day. Instead of working on our organizational skills, most of us decide to sacrifice sleep to achieve everything we need to in a day. 

Needless to say, that type of lifestyle is anything but healthy. Not only should you work on getting at least 8 hours of sleep every night, but you should ensure that you get quality sleep. 

Here are six habits that are preventing you from sleeping well. 

1. Blue Light Saturation 

Darkness is extremely underrated these days. We're surrounded by displays that are constantly showering us with blue light. Blue wavelengths are known to cause a spike in alertness, attention, and focus.  

While perfectly acceptable and even encouraged during the day, you don't want to be fully alert when you go to sleep. Try to put down that phone and turn off your computer when you go to bed. Your body will thank you for it in the morning. 

2. Overeating Just Before Bed Time 

Eating in the evening is one of those things everyone does. Sneaking to the fridge for a bite to eat gives you those little dopamine rushes everyone savors. However, overeating right before bed is not so great. 

There are numerous reasons why you need to kick this habit. For one, it's taxing on your stomach, which is breaking down food when it should be resting. Breaking down food requires a buildup of stomach acids that can escape into your esophagus as you're sleeping, causing acid reflux and heartburn. Neither of these is suitable for your sleep. 

3. Refusing to Give up that Old Mattress

Everybody has a preference when it comes to beds. Some like them stiff, some like them soft. Either way, every mattress has a lifespan. Using a mattress once it has lost its properties is just asking for trouble. If this is you, it's time to move on. 

There are great new technologies available today that allow you to dial in a mattress's firmness manually. Industry leaders over at iSense have put together some of the best adjustable firmness mattress models and laid out a case for this technology. Being able to control the mattress's stiffness allows you to dial in the perfect specs for a good night's sleep. 

4. Pulling Frequent All-Nighters 

 We've all been in situations where we had to pull an all-nighter. Doing this once in a while is not optimal, but it won't hurt your sleep. However, frequent stints of no sleep that extend for more than 24 hours are incredibly unhealthy. 

When you sleep, your brain is going through a detox process where all the built-up toxins are flushed out. Preventing this critical process by pulling all-nighter increases has severe consequences and could increase your risk of Alzheimer's. In the short term, pulling all-nighters messes up your sleep pattern, causing you to feel like you've been hit by a freight train when you finally decide to get some sleep. 

5. Cool Down your Room 

Temperature affects the quality of sleep. That much is well known. However, what isn't so well known is that sleeping in a colder room improves the quality of sleep you're getting. If you're used to cranking the heat at night, especially during the winter, you might want to try and fight that habit. Try sleeping in a colder room one night and see how that goes. The chances are that you will love it. 

6. Inconsistent Sleeping Hours 

Consistency is vital for so many things in life, including sleep. Training your body with a consistent sleeping schedule will help you get quality sleep. While it's understandable that you can't always go to bed at the same hour, try to do your best. 

It might feel forced initially, but it should turn into a habit within a few weeks. That's when you'll start feeling the benefits of this method. You'll sleep better and wake up rested in the morning. 

Start Today 

They say that the best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, but the second-best time is right now. The same applies to changing your sleeping habits. Start today. You don't have to implement all of these changes right away. 

Start with one or two and then work your way up from there. Sleep is incredibly important for your health and well-being. It doesn't take much to get it under control as long as you're willing to put in some effort!