How many times have you been in bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking, ‘Why can’t I fall asleep?’ Well, there may be multiple lifestyle factors at play that indicate why you’re struggling to drift off. Here, we asked six sleep experts about the habits they avoid before bed.
There are few things in life we want more of than sleep. And whether you’re lucky enough to get a full eight hours every night or are barely scraping the four-hour mark, getting the right amount has countless benefits. Women are generally recommended to get between seven and nine hours a night, which can support the heart and immune system, and help with positive mental health, stress regulation and concentration
When you’re not getting enough Zs, you may notice yourself feeling cranky or low or struggling to focus on everyday tasks. In short, sleep is one of the most important things we can do to live a healthy, happy life, which is why it can be downright frustrating when those precious hours of restoration elude us. There’s really nothing worse than lying in bed, tossing and turning and doing the mental maths to calculate how much sleep you’ll get if you fall asleep right now
And while you may have tried counting sheep, chanting affirmations, playing mental games or scrolling through every meditative soundscape on the Calm app, multiple factors come into play before we even crawl under the sheets – and they could all affect how easily and quickly we nod off
Dr Roger Henderson, a GP and medical expert at MattressNextDay, says: “When people think about improving their sleep, they often focus on what happens once they are in bed. However, good sleep begins well before bedtime. During the hour or two beforehand, the brain is responding to signals that tell it whether to remain alert or begin winding down, which is why our evening habits can have such an important effect.” Below, we asked six sleep experts about the key things they would never do before bed – apart from using their phones – and why. Here’s what they said.
Dr Roger Henderson, a GP and medical expert at MattressNextDay
Use alcohol as a sleep aid
“A few drinks can certainly make you feel sleepy, but that’s very different from getting good-quality sleep,” says Dr Henderson. “Although you may drift off quickly, alcohol disrupts the deeper, more restorative stages of sleep later in the night, so people often wake feeling less refreshed than they expect.”
Turn on the ‘big’ lights
One habit people often forget about is staying under bright overhead lights late into the evening, says Dr Henderson. “People often think it’s only phones and tablets that matter, but your brain responds to all light, so even bright kitchen or living room lights can delay the natural rise in melatonin, the hormone that helps prepare your body for sleep.” He suggests simply dimming your lights during the last hour before going to bed, which can send a powerful signal to your body that it’s time to wind down.
Stay inside all day
While research suggests you should aim to get out and about first thing in the morning, Dr Henderson says you should also try to avoid spending the entire evening indoors if you’ve barely seen daylight all day. “Getting outside for 15 or 20 minutes in the late afternoon or early evening can help reinforce your body’s internal clock,” he says. “Good sleep isn’t just about what you do at night but is also about getting the right light exposure during the day.”
Dr Memee Ahmad, GP and founder of SkinCouture
Sleep in an overly warm room
“Your core temperature needs to drop by about a degree to fall and stay asleep, and a warm room blunts that signal, cutting into the slow-wave sleep skin repair depends on,” says Dr Ahmad. “I keep my room around 16–19ºC.”
Turn your clock away or keep it out of sight
Credit: Getty
Sarah Patel, sleep expert and founder of Teach to Sleep
Drink caffeine after lunchtime
“I never have coffee after 2pm,” says Patel. “Tea doesn’t touch me, but coffee does something sneaky – I’ll fall asleep fine, then find myself wide awake in the middle of the night for a good hour. It’s not keeping me up; it’s breaking my sleep in half. Caffeine has a half-life of around five to six hours, so a 2pm coffee is still partly active in your system at 8pm. It doesn’t stop you falling asleep – it quietly disrupts the deeper, more restorative stages of sleep later in the night, which is why I feel it hours after I’ve technically fallen asleep.”
Jules Goldberg, sleep expert and founder of Reviva Softworks
Watch anything too stimulating
“Many of us love watching a TV series in the evening, but try to stick to one episode per night,” says Goldberg. “Limiting your screen time will help reduce mental stimulation before bed and allow for longer sleep duration. Plus, it has the added bonus of letting you enjoy your favourite series for longer.”
Sammy Margo, physiotherapist and sleep expert at Dreams
Stay in bed if you can’t fall asleep
Most of us drift off within around 15 to 20 minutes of being in a comfortable bed, but if you’re still lying awake after that, it’s often better to get up and move for a short while “Reading a book, practising some gentle stretches or listening to calming music can help you relax before returning to bed. Staying awake in bed for long periods can train your brain to associate your bed with wakefulness rather than sleep, making it even harder to switch off over time.”
Watch the clock
“Watching the minutes tick by can quickly turn bedtime into a countdown, with thoughts such as, ‘If I fall asleep now, I’ll still get six hours.’ That mental maths only creates more pressure and makes sleep feel like a task you’re failing at. Turn your clock away or keep it out of sight,” she says
Vigorous exercise close to bedtime
“While regular exercise is fantastic for sleep, an intense workout late in the evening raises your heart rate and body temperature, making it more difficult for your body to produce melatonin, the hormone that helps us feel sleepy, says Margo. She advises finishing strenuous exercise at least two to three hours before going to bed to give your body time to cool down and unwind
Carry out small pieces of life admin in bed
“Checking tomorrow’s diary, paying a bill or replying to ‘just one’ work email may seem harmless, but these tasks tell your brain that the working day is still active. Your bed shouldn’t become a satellite office; otherwise, your mind may keep searching for problems to solve long after the laptop has closed.”
Eat a spicy or heavy meal
“Spicy foods can increase your body temperature and stimulate your metabolism at a time when your body is naturally trying to cool down for sleep. They can also contribute to indigestion or acid reflux, which makes it harder to get comfortable. If you’re feeling hungry later in the evening, opt for something lighter that’s less likely to interfere with your body’s natural wind-down process.”
Professor Ama Johal, dental sleep expert and clinical lead at Aerox Health
Treat snoring as background noise to just live with
While sometimes harmless, snoring can be a sign that your airway is narrowing more than it should overnight and could potentially be a symptom of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to Professor Johal. “Lifestyle factors play a major role in snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea. Excess weight increases pressure around the airway, alcohol relaxes the throat muscles so the airway is more likely to collapse during sleep, and smoking causes inflammation and swelling that further narrows the airways. Together, they can make snoring louder and sleep apnoea more frequent and severe.”
Lie flat on your back
“While some people may prefer it, lying on your back lets gravity pull the jaw and tongue backwards, which can narrow the airway a little, rather like bending a drinking straw, and it’s one of the simplest and most overlooked reasons people snore or sleep restlessly without knowing why.”
Images: Pexels; Getty
