Entertainment / Lifestyle
Top 10: Things That Will Stop You From Sleeping
07 Mar 2011 at 01:45hrs | Views
No.10 Bladder
While drinking a nice cup of tea or warm milk before bed is a great way to wind down, it's also a great way to ensure a midnight trip to the bathroom. Overactive bladder, an actual medical condition caused by the involuntary contractions of the bladder muscles, can also disrupt your beauty rest.
Overcome bladder disruptions by limiting your intake of fluids after about 6 p.m., and by avoiding foods that irritate the bladder like spicy Indian dishes. If all else fails, try a double take: After you urinate before bed, give it five minutes and then force another round.
No.9 Mattress
Remember the good old days of sleepovers and playing Nintendo until 2 a.m. at your best mate's house? Yeah, well, those days are gone and so too is your ability to sleep on any couch, floor or mattress. Because choosing the right mattress is almost entirely a matter of personal choice -- meaning that most studies on mattress type and back pain, for example, are inconclusive -- finding a mattress that works for you is probably best achieved through trial and error.
Don't be afraid to take notes on the various mattresses that you lay upon throughout your life, whether at hotels or family functions, until you find a perfect match. Of course, you can always use the fact that you're researching mattresses as a cheesy pickup line.
No.8 Hunger
There may be no worse feeling than snuggling into bed only to be loudly awakened by a rumbling stomach. To avoid those late-night pangs of hunger, simply plan your meals better. Sometimes eating too big of a dinner will keep you full until the exact moment you lay down for bed.
So try not to overdo it at dinnertime, eat at a reasonable time and follow up your dinner with a light snack a few hours before bed.
No.7 Exercise
Ever felt jacked-up immediately after a good workout? If so, you're not alone. Usually, during exercise and shortly thereafter, our bodies experience a rapid increase in stress hormones. These hormones help increase blood flow, boost our heart rates and raise our body temperature in order to keep our muscles pumping. The net effect, however, will leave you wide awake. Over time, though, stress hormone levels drop, thereby promoting the opposite effect of making you tired.
Studies have even shown that regular exercise will actually improve sleep in insomniacs in the long run. To ensure that exercise is promoting sleep rather than disturbing it, avoid the gym before bedtime. In fact, the earlier you work out, the better you'll sleep.
No.6 Stress
Whether it's a looming deadline, a blind date or having to tell your wife that you spent the holiday fund on a big-screen TV, stress and anxiety are sleep killers. The inability to prevent our minds from racing at night is a common symptom of stress-induced sleep disturbance. With bedtime typically being the only time for peaceful reflection, it's quite common to relive all the stressful events that occurred throughout the day. But stress-induced sleep disturbance isn't just a mental thing; stress induces physical changes, such as the release of the hormone cortisol -- another factor intimately related to sleep.
If you're having trouble with stress and sleep, the best solution is to address the stress itself, rather than look for quick fixes. Make sure you wind down hours before bedtime, whether through mediation, a good book or mutual massage -- anything to keep your mind at ease -- and be sure to make these healthy habits routine.
No.5 Alcohol
How alcohol affects sleep depends on how much is consumed and when. Alcohol consumed at bedtime, like a nice glass of wine, may actually help you fall asleep. But moderate amounts of alcohol consumed within an hour of bedtime appears to disrupt the second half of the sleep period. You may awake from dreams more easily or may rise for bathroom breaks. Returning to sleep also becomes more difficult.
This sleep disruption may lead to daytime fatigue and sleepiness, making matters only worse. The only solution is to avoid alcohol almost entirely before bed. A glass of wine or beer is fine, but don't reach for a second serving.
No.4 Light
Your bedroom is supposed to be your sanctuary, free from disturbance, and most importantly, free from light. Man-made light, whether from outside street lamps or from your TV or computer, can disrupt our internal clocks (or circadian rhythm), making it difficult for our brain to understand when it should begin to wind down. Because our bedtime routines tend to vary from night to night, the amount of light we are exposed to before sleep will also vary, making it near impossible for our bodies to secure a natural rhythm.
If you're having trouble finding your nightly groove, make sure that your bedroom is as dark and distraction-free as possible. Buy thick curtains and remove the TV and computers to ensure that your space is for sleeping only.
No.3 TV
It seems that almost every day new research emerges on the effects of TV and sleep. Of biggest concern, is bedtime viewing. Not only does the light from television throw off our natural circadian rhythms, which are normally controlled by daylight, but the sights and sounds of television act as a brain stimulant, further preventing sleep.
The scariest part of TV's effect on sleep is that nearly everyone is doing it. A very recent, large-scale survey found that television viewing accounted for nearly 50% of pre-bedtime use!
Do yourself a favour and unplug.
No.2 Computer and mobile
In a world dominated by electronics, avoiding computers or phones before bedtime is nearly impossible, but it may be necessary in order to get a good night's sleep. Not only do computers and phones give off loads of unnecessary light (think of all the flashing lights on computers, phones and AC adapters), but they also serve as a constant reminder of work.
Mobiles go one step further with some studies suggesting that the radiation given off by our handsets may be disturbing sleep. Then there's the added disruption of late-night texts, phone calls or e-mails that can wake you without you even knowing it (a phone's vibration is more than enough to wake you mid-sleep).
Help yourself by disconnecting.
No.1 Caffeine
We probably don't need to tell you outright that caffeine affects sleep, but most of you probably aren't aware of how this process happens. Caffeine works partly by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that induces drowsiness and sleepiness by binding to its adenosine receptor. When this action is blocked, we tend to stay awake. Because the half-life of caffeine is about six hours in humans, that means that if you consume a big cup of coffee with 200 mg of caffeine at 3:00 p.m., by 9:00 p.m., there is still about 100 mg of that caffeine in your system.
Although you may be able to fall asleep, you might not reap the benefits of deep sleep. To overcome caffeine-related sleep deprivation, try to avoid caffeine after 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. This may be tricky since some foods like chocolate or various soft drinks also contain caffeine. But, generally, you'll be fine if you just avoid coffee later in the day.
While drinking a nice cup of tea or warm milk before bed is a great way to wind down, it's also a great way to ensure a midnight trip to the bathroom. Overactive bladder, an actual medical condition caused by the involuntary contractions of the bladder muscles, can also disrupt your beauty rest.
Overcome bladder disruptions by limiting your intake of fluids after about 6 p.m., and by avoiding foods that irritate the bladder like spicy Indian dishes. If all else fails, try a double take: After you urinate before bed, give it five minutes and then force another round.
No.9 Mattress
Remember the good old days of sleepovers and playing Nintendo until 2 a.m. at your best mate's house? Yeah, well, those days are gone and so too is your ability to sleep on any couch, floor or mattress. Because choosing the right mattress is almost entirely a matter of personal choice -- meaning that most studies on mattress type and back pain, for example, are inconclusive -- finding a mattress that works for you is probably best achieved through trial and error.
Don't be afraid to take notes on the various mattresses that you lay upon throughout your life, whether at hotels or family functions, until you find a perfect match. Of course, you can always use the fact that you're researching mattresses as a cheesy pickup line.
No.8 Hunger
There may be no worse feeling than snuggling into bed only to be loudly awakened by a rumbling stomach. To avoid those late-night pangs of hunger, simply plan your meals better. Sometimes eating too big of a dinner will keep you full until the exact moment you lay down for bed.
So try not to overdo it at dinnertime, eat at a reasonable time and follow up your dinner with a light snack a few hours before bed.
No.7 Exercise
Ever felt jacked-up immediately after a good workout? If so, you're not alone. Usually, during exercise and shortly thereafter, our bodies experience a rapid increase in stress hormones. These hormones help increase blood flow, boost our heart rates and raise our body temperature in order to keep our muscles pumping. The net effect, however, will leave you wide awake. Over time, though, stress hormone levels drop, thereby promoting the opposite effect of making you tired.
Studies have even shown that regular exercise will actually improve sleep in insomniacs in the long run. To ensure that exercise is promoting sleep rather than disturbing it, avoid the gym before bedtime. In fact, the earlier you work out, the better you'll sleep.
No.6 Stress
Whether it's a looming deadline, a blind date or having to tell your wife that you spent the holiday fund on a big-screen TV, stress and anxiety are sleep killers. The inability to prevent our minds from racing at night is a common symptom of stress-induced sleep disturbance. With bedtime typically being the only time for peaceful reflection, it's quite common to relive all the stressful events that occurred throughout the day. But stress-induced sleep disturbance isn't just a mental thing; stress induces physical changes, such as the release of the hormone cortisol -- another factor intimately related to sleep.
If you're having trouble with stress and sleep, the best solution is to address the stress itself, rather than look for quick fixes. Make sure you wind down hours before bedtime, whether through mediation, a good book or mutual massage -- anything to keep your mind at ease -- and be sure to make these healthy habits routine.
No.5 Alcohol
This sleep disruption may lead to daytime fatigue and sleepiness, making matters only worse. The only solution is to avoid alcohol almost entirely before bed. A glass of wine or beer is fine, but don't reach for a second serving.
No.4 Light
Your bedroom is supposed to be your sanctuary, free from disturbance, and most importantly, free from light. Man-made light, whether from outside street lamps or from your TV or computer, can disrupt our internal clocks (or circadian rhythm), making it difficult for our brain to understand when it should begin to wind down. Because our bedtime routines tend to vary from night to night, the amount of light we are exposed to before sleep will also vary, making it near impossible for our bodies to secure a natural rhythm.
If you're having trouble finding your nightly groove, make sure that your bedroom is as dark and distraction-free as possible. Buy thick curtains and remove the TV and computers to ensure that your space is for sleeping only.
No.3 TV
It seems that almost every day new research emerges on the effects of TV and sleep. Of biggest concern, is bedtime viewing. Not only does the light from television throw off our natural circadian rhythms, which are normally controlled by daylight, but the sights and sounds of television act as a brain stimulant, further preventing sleep.
The scariest part of TV's effect on sleep is that nearly everyone is doing it. A very recent, large-scale survey found that television viewing accounted for nearly 50% of pre-bedtime use!
Do yourself a favour and unplug.
No.2 Computer and mobile
In a world dominated by electronics, avoiding computers or phones before bedtime is nearly impossible, but it may be necessary in order to get a good night's sleep. Not only do computers and phones give off loads of unnecessary light (think of all the flashing lights on computers, phones and AC adapters), but they also serve as a constant reminder of work.
Mobiles go one step further with some studies suggesting that the radiation given off by our handsets may be disturbing sleep. Then there's the added disruption of late-night texts, phone calls or e-mails that can wake you without you even knowing it (a phone's vibration is more than enough to wake you mid-sleep).
Help yourself by disconnecting.
No.1 Caffeine
We probably don't need to tell you outright that caffeine affects sleep, but most of you probably aren't aware of how this process happens. Caffeine works partly by blocking adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that induces drowsiness and sleepiness by binding to its adenosine receptor. When this action is blocked, we tend to stay awake. Because the half-life of caffeine is about six hours in humans, that means that if you consume a big cup of coffee with 200 mg of caffeine at 3:00 p.m., by 9:00 p.m., there is still about 100 mg of that caffeine in your system.
Although you may be able to fall asleep, you might not reap the benefits of deep sleep. To overcome caffeine-related sleep deprivation, try to avoid caffeine after 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. This may be tricky since some foods like chocolate or various soft drinks also contain caffeine. But, generally, you'll be fine if you just avoid coffee later in the day.
Source - ASKMEN
