Insomnia Tips & Tricks: 10 Things Not to Do Before Going to Bed

Are you a night owl or just suffering from insomnia? Insomnia is a condition where an individual is having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. If a person doesn’t get enough sleep, his body will be unable to produce enough energy. Insomnia also affects the mood may cause other sickness and disease as the body is deprived of proper rest.

According to Health, Dr. Michael Grandner, a psychiatrist from the University of Pennsylvania, explained that insomnia or other sleep disorders are often caused by the individual’s activities before going to bed.

So, if you wish to have a proper sleep tonight, here is a list of the top ten activities you should avoid before going to bed.

Using electronic devices like smartphones, tablet or e-readers. According to TIME Magazine, several studies have stated that the blue light given off by electronic devices prevent the production of melatonin, a hormone that can make the body sleepy.

Watching TV. According to Sleep Foundation, a noisy background affects sleep more than people know as the constant sound changes coming from the TV can keep your brain alert and your senses awake.

Drinking coffee or tea. Dr. Grandner shares to Health that drinking any beverage with caffeine can keep an individual up because caffeine can stay in the body for up to 12 hours. As for decaffeinated options, a study has found that even these variants have a minimum of 20mg of caffeine in them.

Thinking about too many things. If you keep yourself excited or worried, then you are not giving your body the relaxation it needs. According to Health, make sure to give yourself a break for at least an hour before going to bed.

Eating fatty foods. According to Greatest, high-fat foods such as ice cream and chips take a long time to digest and will just keep your body working through the digestion process.

Not changing your sheets. Fresh and clean linens can help stimulate the relaxation process of the body, according to Sleep Foundation.

Doing intense cardio workout. According to PopSugar, f you use the treadmill right before you sleep, your heart and energy level will be elevated, making it difficult for the body to relax.

Drinking alcohol. TIME Magazine says alcohol will not make you sleepy because once the body tries to metabolize the alcohol, our restorative sleep will be reduced.

Drinking lots of water. Health states that the more fluid you intake, the more your kidneys are triggered to urinate, thus making you get up in the middle of the night to pee.

Taking a cold shower. This will only awaken your body further, shares Dr. Gardner to TIME Magazine. Try a hot bath next time for relaxation.