The effects of poor sleep quality cannot be overstated. While all of us have occasional sleep issues, consistently poor quality of slumber can impact your life in a host of negative ways. From diminished performance in the workplace to difficulty maintaining personal relationships, lackluster sleep quality stands to throw your routines into complete disarray. So, if your sleep quality leaves something to be desired, it’s in your best interest to identify the root cause(s). The sooner you become aware of what’s causing your sleep quality to wane, the sooner you can set to work correcting the issue.
Uncomfortable Mattress
Your choice of mattress can have a much larger impact on your slumber quality than you may think. For example, if your current mattress is well past its prime or is of generally low quality, it’s in your best interest to replace it at your earliest convenience. In the interest of conserving financial resources, many of us tend to cheap out when it comes time to purchase new mattresses. As long as we’re getting the lowest price possible, we’re liable to regard comfort as secondary.
However, while this approach to mattress buying may bring about short-term savings, it can also result in hundreds – if not thousands – of uncomfortable nights. This isn’t to say that you should overspend on mattresses, but you should absolutely avoid underspending on them. So, the next time you find yourself shopping around for a new mattress, there are several key factors you’ll need to consider – namely, your height, weight and personal preferences with regard to comfort. Getting a mattress that’s perfectly suited to your nighttime needs may entail spending more than you’d prefer, but this financial sacrifice can be a boon to your overnight comfort for years to come.
Uncomfortable Bedding
In many respects, your bedding choices are every bit as important as your choice of mattress. For starters, it’s imperative that you sleep with sheets and comforters that are perfectly suited to the climate and season. For example, using bedding that’s composed of thick, heat-retaining materials during the sweltering summer months is liable to result in many uncomfortably warm nights. By the same token, you’ll want to avoid using thin, heat-resistant sheets and comforters throughout the frosty winter months. So, if you’ve fallen into the habit of sleeping with the same bedding all year long, take care to correct this ASAP.
You should also put genuine thought into your pillow purchases and replace pillows that are well past their prime. Additionally, if you’re afflicted with GERD, back pain, sleep apnea or various other nighttime health issues, buying a wedge pillow is likely to prove a worthwhile investment.
Overstimulation
Overstimulation can act as a detriment to falling asleep and staying asleep. Although there are numerous reasons for which overstimulation occurs, excessive screen time is among the most common culprits in the age of constant connectivity. Actively using such devices as smartphones and tablets in the immediate leadup to bedtime can leave our brains overstimulated and unable to fall asleep in a timely manner.
In an effort to combat this, make a point of shutting off your various screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime and engaging in activities that are conducive to relaxation, such as meditation and deep breathing exercises. By extension, avoid using your phone and other screen-based devices if you wake up in the middle of the night and find yourself unable to fall back asleep. You may think that using these devices will help tire you out, but you’re likely to find that the opposite is true.
Too Much Caffeine
While consuming caffeine in the morning can be an effective way to help yourself wake up, drinking coffee, tea and other caffeinated beverages throughout the day may ultimately contribute to sleep issues. To help prevent caffeine from interfering with your nightly respite, stop consuming it at least six hours before going to bed.
If left untreated, sleep problems can interfere with every aspect of your life. So, for the sake of your job, personal relationships and basic functionality, make sure to address any sleep issues you’re experiencing in a timely manner. The longer you take to get a handle on the issue, the more damage troubled slumber stands to cause. When working to identify potential culprits, take care to consider the causes discussed above.
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