We all need a good night sleep, in order to function well. Have you been sleeping incorrectly your entire life? Even if you eat healthy food and exercise regularly, your sleep quality may be affected by how you sleep. Maybe you get enough sleep, but scientists claim that the way we sleep significantly affects our sleeping quality. If you feel tired and sleepy after 8 or 10 of sleep, take a look at these 11 mistakes and see how to fix them to get up feeling great.
Sleep Mistakes You Can Fix Tonight
1. You use your pillows only for your head
You should always sleep with a pillow under your head, but if you have some extra pillows you can use them to increase your sleep quality. If you sleep on your back, put one pillow under your knees. Sleeping like this will decrease the pressure on the lower part of your back. If you prefer to sleep on the side, put one pillow under your arm and one between your legs. That is the best position for the backbone.
Here’s a great body pillow that would make sleep a lot better!
2. Sleeping on your stomach
Even if it looks like you stretch your body and your back in this position, sleeping on your stomach will have a completely different effect that you will feel in the morning. Sleeping on the stomach will put pressure on your groin and the rest of your muscles that will cause strain and pain in your muscles. In this pose, it is very difficult to maintain the natural position of your pelvis. The same issue is with your head when it’s on the side, you strain tendons and press nerves. Sleeping with your head like this causes pain in your neck and unexpected headaches.
3. Sleeping in the fetus position
Yes, we know this is one of the most favorite poses of many people but avoiding this will make both small and big changes in your sleep. In the fetus pose your pelvis is bent into a ‘C’ shape, and that isn’t natural at all. At the same time, your knees are strained if they are bent for a long time in the same position. That will make the blood circulation difficult and cause pain in your joints. So if you want to sleep better, avoid this way of sleeping.
4. Drinking alcohol before bed
It’s true that alcohol can help you fall asleep faster, but at the same time, it decreases the sleeping quality. In other words, the more you drink you the worse sleep quality you will have thus making you feel bad in the morning.
5. No regular time for sleep
If you go to sleep on Monday at 9:00 PM, and you stay up all night on Tuesday watching TV, your body won’t know when to ‘turn off’ on Wednesday evening. If you have a regular time for going to sleep, and you get up every day at the same time, your body will be programmed to know when bedtime is. This means you’ll feel better when waking up.
6. Sleeping in on the weekends
If you deprive yourself of sleep on the weekdays and try to compensate your sleep on Saturdays and Sundays, you may be harming yourself. One recent study showed that a lack of sleep can cause permanent brain damage, and you will be less awake and have decreased brain activity. Sleeping on weekends can’t compensate your weekday sleep deprivation so try to get enough no matter what day of the week.
7. Sleeping on a full stomach
If you have dinner, later than three hours before going to bed, that can immensely affect your sleeping quality because it increases the risk of stomach issues and problems with bowels. The best time to have dinner would be at least three hours before bed, and if you’re still hungry after that, have a light snack but nothing too heavy.
8. Sleeping on a mattress older than you
Mattress with springs lasts five years and in the best case ten years. Time varies depending on mattress quality and your weight, and also on how often you tumble during the night. If your mattress has a dent in the middle or your body sinks when you lie on the bed, it’s time to change your mattress.
9. You have no curtains
Maybe it sounds mundane, but curtains can affect a lot your sleep. If you have no curtains, the external may be negatively affecting your sleep quality. The human body has the best sleep in the dark, so it is recommended to close the curtains. Also, you might consider getting black-out curtains to block all light from coming in.
10. Sleeping with a pet
Pet owners usually can’t resist letting their pets in the bedroom. Studies showed that this isn’t good because up to 63% of pet owners that sleep with their pets have problems with sleep. This is because pets have a tendency of waking you up in the middle of the night, thus decreasing your sleep quality. So don’t let your pooch in the room when you’re going to bed.
11. You go to sleep without showering first
The fresh feeling after a shower is not the only reason you should put it on your routine list. A warm bath or shower will make you go to bed feeling clean, but will also relax your muscles and clear your mind, helping you sink into a deep sleep faster.
Are you guilty of any of these bad habits that decrease your sleep quality? You should make a decision to sleep better starting tonight: the healthier life and fresher look are worth it.