Getting a good night's sleep is important for your mood, your energy levels, and your overall health. It's also dependent on what you do during the day— how much physical activity you get, what you eat and drink, and how mentally stimulated you are—especially in the hours before you crawl into bed.
"When people suffer from insomnia or other sleep issues, it's often because of something they're doing, probably unintentionally, when they should be preparing for rest," says Michael Grandner, PhD, a psychiatry instructor and member of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Here are 20 things you might want to avoid at night, especially if you're suffering from a lack of shuteye.
Several studies have suggested that using electronic devices like e-readers and smartphones, or even watching television in or before bed can disrupt sleep. Robert Rosenberg, DO, author of Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day, recommends avoiding any light-emitting technology for at least one hour before bedtime.
"The blue light given off by computers, smartphones, tablets, and TV prevents the production of melatonin which helps the body become sleepy," he says. If you don't want to give up reading your Kindle Fire or using your iPad in bed, follow this advice from a 2013 Mayo Clinic study: Keep the device at least 14 inches from your face and turn down your screen's brightness to reduce your risk of light-related sleep problems. If you take medicines or supplements on a daily basis and you're also experiencing sleep problems, ask your doctor whether the time of day you take your dosage may be keeping you awake. "The effects may be subtle, but some medicines can make you alert for several hours after taking them," says Grandner. For example, antidepressants can have strong effects on sleep in either direction, and some pain medications may upset your stomach and make sleep more difficult. (On the other hand, some other medicines—such as some types of blood pressure pills— have been shown to work best when taken at night; talk to your do about when to take yours.)
A sleeping pill isn't always the answer, either: They're generally only recommended for short-term use —over-the-counter meds, especially—so if you find yourself taking them regularly, talk to your doctor about other options. A prescription drug will be safer and more effective to use for more than a few weeks at a time, but a longer-term solution that doesn't rely on medication is your best bet. You may think a text is less disturbing late at night than a phone call, but think twice before you message a friend or family member, or get involved in a group text conversation, shortly before bed. If you sleep with your phone in or near your bed, you could be disturbed by replies after you've already retired or fallen asleep.
In fact, a 2011 National Sleep Foundation poll found that about 10% of kids 13 to 18 are awakened after they go to bed every night or almost every night by a phone call, text message or email, and about one in five 13- to 29-year-olds say this happens at least a few nights a week. If you are worried about getting messages late at night, put your phone in another room or mute it. CONTINUE READING
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