Everyone needs sleep, but not everyone gets the amount of restful sleep they need. Issues such as stress and anxiety can make it difficult for adults to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night. One in three adults has sleep issues.
In today’s world, there is a lot of pressure and focus on getting results in many aspects of life and always being “on.” This makes juggling home life and work life a challenging task and has led to many people wearing their lack of sleep and their increased productivity as a badge of honor.
While staying up late and waking up early to send an extra email might sound like a great way to get ahead, a recent study found that sleep deprivation and poor sleep led to 44.6 billion in lost productivity and 2.29 unplanned missed workdays per month. So while working hard and being on the grind may feel like an advantage, getting more restful sleep will actually help you get ahead.
There is also the other side of the coin: an adult that can’t fall asleep – but isn’t burning the midnight oil in their cubicle. As an Adult Sleep Coach, I have seen it all when it comes to non-clinical reasons adults don’t sleep well & what changes you can make today to sleep better tonight.
4 reasons we see clients searching for how to sleep through the night without waking up come & how we can help:
Caffeines Impact on Sleep
Many people know the effect of their caffeine intake, and that’s why they consume it. Caffeine is a stimulant, so it should come as no surprise that consuming too much of it during the day can interfere with your ability to get a good night’s rest. It can overstimulate the nervous system, which leads to difficulty falling and staying asleep. Additionally, caffeine causes an increase in cortisol levels, which makes it even more difficult to relax and rest. To avoid this, try limiting your caffeinated beverages, such as coffee and tea, to before noon.
If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, switch to decaf or herbal tea instead. Additionally, be mindful of how long you wait after drinking caffeine before going to bed; caffeine has a half-life of approximately six hours in the body, meaning that if you consume caffeine in the late afternoon or early evening, it will still be in your system when you try to go to sleep.
Stress & Anxiety
For many adults, stress and anxiety are major factors in their sleeping difficulties. Stress is often caused by work pressures or other external factors, while anxiety is more likely related to internal struggles like low self-esteem or fear of failure. In either case, learning how to manage these emotions can help reduce sleeplessness.
Techniques such as mindfulness meditation or progressive muscle relaxation can be useful tools for learning how to control stress and anxiety levels so that they don’t interfere with your ability to get a good night’s sleep. Additionally, maintaining a regular exercise routine (aim for at least 30 minutes per day) has been shown to reduce stress levels and thus improve overall sleep quality.
Your Sleep Environment
Outside noise and light pollution from street lamps or passing cars can also impact your ability to sleep each night restfully. To combat this problem, invest in blackout curtains (or blinds) for your bedroom windows which will keep out any unwanted light from outside sources while also providing additional insulation from sound pollution so that you won’t be disturbed by loud noises coming from outside your home.
It may also help if you turn off all electronic devices in your bedroom—cell phones included—as their blue light emissions have been shown to disrupt natural melatonin production, which plays an important role in regulating our circadian rhythms (i.e., our “body clocks”).
Blue-Light Exposure
Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other digital devices emit blue light—which can have an impact on your sleep. The main issue with blue light exposure at night is its effect on our circadian rhythm—our internal clock that signals when we should be asleep or awake. Exposure to too much blue light during dark hours disrupts this process because it confuses your body’s natural cues for when it should shift into sleep mode.
This disruption can cause difficulty falling asleep as well as feelings of grogginess during the day if you don’t get enough quality rest at night. In addition to feeling tired all day long, the lack of quality sleep caused by blue light exposure can lead to higher risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity over time.
There are ways that you can help improve your sleep quality without having to resort to medication or clinical treatments. {though they sometimes are needed, based on your unique situation and symptoms.}
5 Tips to Help You Fall Asleep Quickly and Sleep Through the Night.
Go for a walk.
Your body is regulated by a circadian rhythm that helps control awake and sleep cycles. The sun helps to regulate those circadian rhythms for you. Getting outside is a great way to make sure your body knows when it is time to sleep.
In addition to the sun helping to regulate your awake/sleep cycles, many studies have shown that there is a correlation between exercise and better sleep. So grab your sunglasses and go out for a walk today, even for 20 minutes; it’s amazing what fresh air can do.
Enjoy a bath.
Everyone should have a sleep routine that prepares their body for sleep. Taking a bath is a great way to start your sleep routine because the change in temperature can help you become drowsy.
Doing this consistently can signal to your brain that it is time to sleep and can trigger your body to start producing melatonin.
Skip the happy hour party.
Going out and spending time with friends can be really good for your soul but doing it regularly can cause you to stay up too late and cause overtiredness.
In addition, consuming alcoholic beverages too close to bed can disrupt the sleep cycle overnight. It is recommended that you allow 4 hours of time between your last drink and bedtime.
Hit the gym early in the day.
I mentioned earlier that exercising is a great way to help increase your sleep. Just remember to make sure that you leave enough space between your exercise and your bedtime.
Exercise can release cortisol which can stimulate the brain and make falling asleep harder.
Make a to-do list.
One of the leading causes of lack of sleep in adults is stress. One way to help reduce stress is to list what you are trying to accomplish. This way, when it is time for bed, you are not sitting up thinking about everything you need to get done.
Make a list and get a good night’s sleep.
These are my top 5 tips for lifestyle changes that can really help you improve your sleep. One of the biggest struggles I see in adults with their sleep habits is young children who are struggling with sleep which affects the parent’s sleep routine. As an adult & child sleep consultant, I have helped hundreds of families get a better night’s rest, whether coaching adults or parents to help their children to get a better restful night’s sleep. If you or your child is struggling, learn more about how I can help by booking a free discovery call today.