Seemingly harmless habits that ruin your sleep

Bad habits can cause a domino effect, leaving you tired the next day and the days after, as if stuck in a state of perpetual sleepiness.

Top 8 common habits that negatively affect our sleep

A bad night's sleep can have a big impact on many aspects of your life. But could your seemingly harmless bedtime habits be making it harder for you to get a good night's rest?

Pre-bedtime habits not only affect how quickly you fall asleep, but also the quality of your sleep. Bad habits can have a domino effect, leaving you tired the next day and the days after, as if you were stuck in a perpetual state of sleepiness.

Pre-bedtime habits directly impact sleep quality. (Photo: Getty Images).

Nighttime snacking

While it may be beneficial to choose a nutritious snack before bed, avoid eating large meals. Not only does it cause digestive discomfort, but eating a large meal before bed can also increase your body temperature.

Since your body temperature typically drops at bedtime, the rise in temperature confuses your brain about whether to rest or not. You should also avoid fatty foods and acidic fruits, as they increase stomach acid, causing heartburn and indigestion.

Coffee Addict

Most of us know to avoid coffee before bed, but you may be unwittingly sabotaging your sleep with hidden sources of caffeine. Energy drinks, sodas, dark chocolate, and some medications can all contain high amounts of caffeine.

Reducing your caffeine intake and making sure you finish it early enough in the day can improve your sleep. However, remember to cut back gradually as cutting it out abruptly can cause headaches and insomnia.

Use alcohol to sleep easily

Many people mistakenly believe that alcohol helps them sleep better. In fact, alcohol is bad for sleep - it will reduce the quality of sleep, causing you to lose the deep sleep that helps restore your mind and body.

Daytime sleep

Everyone loves a nap, but daytime naps should be limited to about 20 minutes to avoid interfering with nighttime sleep. It's important to remember that napping should be an occasional treat, not a permanent substitute for a good night's sleep.

Surf the phone

As tempting as it is to scroll through your phone or watch TV while lying in bed, the blue light from these devices can interfere with falling asleep because it affects the production of sleep hormones.

Not only does this make it harder to fall asleep, it also leaves you feeling groggy the next morning – meaning the electronic devices we use so often could be contributing to sleep-deprived fatigue.

High intensity exercise

Exercising during the day can help you sleep, but intense exercise too close to bedtime can have the opposite effect. Exercising too late in the day can keep your body and mind alert, making it harder to fall asleep.

Brain stimulation

In today's busy world, it's becoming harder to define boundaries between different parts of your life. To protect your sleep, try to make it a habit to not check work emails or tackle your to-do list until late in the evening.

Similarly, watching sad news, watching action-packed movies, or listening to loud music can all increase adrenaline and interfere with sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, try to avoid stressful or stimulating activities after a certain time and focus on relaxation.

The light is too strong

Dimming the lights in the evening is a great way to signal to our brains that we're ready to wind down. It increases levels of the important sleep hormone melatonin, while bright light has the opposite effect, keeping our brains alert.