If you are having trouble at night, you might be shocked at this surprising cause of sleeplessness. We’ve heard for years that we need to be in a room free of distractions before we try to fall asleep each night.
Get to the Heart of This Surprising Cause of Sleeplessness
You may have never really understood why that was, but now some light is being shed on it. If you are having trouble winding down or just can’t get a good restful night of sleep, then it may have to do with your activities before bed. If you can’t shut down no matter how hard you try, then the answer may lie in something very unexpected.
One of the most surprising causes of sleeplessness has much to do with the devices that you are using before bed each night. The light from devices such as an iPad, a Kindle, or any type of tablet or laptop can be very distracting. Not only that, but it could be keeping you up each night because this light prevents the production of melatonin before bed. What you may not know is that melatonin is a hormone within the body that is necessary for a restful night of sleep each night.
Background Distractions Can Cause Many Problems
Add to this the fact that your stress is more than likely up when you are working or playing on such a device each night and it’s no wonder that so many of us have interrupted sleep. Using your iPad or Kindle or any type of device means that you are focusing and probably in some sort of stress right before you’re about to try and sleep. So, you are going into your sleep cycle with stress present and this will not allow you to shut off your brain and just relax and get into each of the various cycles of sleep that you need.
You use your devices all day long. Give yourself the chance to separate from them as much as you can throughout the night. This will not only help you to find out if they could be a cause of sleeplessness but can also be great for your mental health. Unplugging for a set amount of time each day can be wonderful for stress control, which, in turn, can also be fantastic for helping you to get a better sleep at night.
There’s More Than One Cause of Sleeplessness
So, with this surprising cause of sleeplessness, it’s imperative to recognize that you need to be in the right environment. After all, it’s not as though there is only one potential issue that could be holding you back from getting the rest you need. If you didn’t even own a smartphone but a marching band made its way through your room every night, it’s pretty clear that the issue isn’t your screen time.
Many experts will tell you that you shouldn’t even have a TV on in your bedroom as that same sort of light and background distraction can keep you from getting an ample supply of melatonin. Moreover, there are other things you can do to create the perfect sleeping environment.
You want the room to be cool, you want to feel relaxed, you want a dim light initially, then try to make it as dark as possible. Blackout curtains can make a massive difference if you live somewhere that stays light outside due to traffic or streetlights, for instance. If you must have a light – for instance, to make it safe to head to the bathroom during the night – consider using a nightlight plugged in lower than your eyeline. Light above your eyes has a greater waking effect than light below your eyes.
On the whole, aim to create a soothing, cool, dark place where you will safe, cozy, comfortable and ready to nod off and stay asleep.
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