Thoughts on SLEEP: Why I Can't Sleep
Have you ever found yourself asking these questions or having these thoughts…
- Why is my body not letting me sleep?
- What can I do if I couldn’t sleep?
- How can I force myself to sleep?
- Should I just stay awake if I can’t sleep?
It is fairly common knowledge what some of the worst disruptors of sleep are, you know things like stress, work or family related issues, as well as unhealthy habits like overeating or drinking coffee before bed.
Sometimes we know why we can’t sleep and other times the reasons may be a bit elusive. The reasons mentioned above are fairly common, but what else keeps us up at nights? Here are a few other things that can lead to insomnia. Things like…
- depression or feeling hopeless
- chronic anxiety or worry
- trauma
- medications can interfere with sleep
- how dark your bedroom is
- how quite your bedroom is
- how cool/hot your bedroom is
- your bed, pillow, and sheets
- how much sun you get in the day
- how much blue light you get at night
- how consistent you are with going to bed and waking up
Okay, I know. That list is a bit overwhelming. You might be saying to yourself… oh god, this is why I can’t sleep, this is why I can’t sleep, and that is why I can’t sleep.
Before you get too overwhelmed by your potential sleep disorder or insomnia let’s dig a bit deeper and then I’ll share some tips to hopefully help you get better sleep. Deal? Okay.
If you are in the thick of sleep problems right now, you know you NEED to do something different, and you’re ready to make some changes – then maybe you are like me and want to know every problem so you can start working down the list.
Which ones are relevant to you? Which ones can you easily address right now? Which ones will take more research or medical help? These are great questions to start your new strategy.
On doing some of my research for this article I found an interesting topic that really caught my attention and think it is important to understand before we get too deep in “fix it” mode.
The next paragraph and image are from HelpGuide.org
Did you know that not only can poor daytime habits contribute to insomnia, but a poor night’s sleep can make these habits harder to correct, creating a vicious cycle of unrefreshing sleep:
I don’t know about you, but is any bit of this disturbing? It kind of blew me away but also made a ton of sense and is just another reason to try to get our sleep dialed in, am I right?
Maybe we should define insomnia. The Mayo Clinic says Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep.
Have you struggled with any of these? I certainly have and have often found myself asking the dreaded question… why can’t i sleep? or maybe… why can’t I go back to sleep?.
You see one of my biggest frustrations is getting back to sleep after I wake up and it is partly what sent me on this sleep research journey.
The Importance Of Sleep…
Are you someone who is currently doing research on why you can’t sleep and seeking how to sleep better? I certainly have been on this journey on why I can’t sleep for far too long. If you are struggling as I have been over the years, here is a video for you. It is from a short sleep course I created while working with a doctor in my research journey. Yeah, I tend to dig deep in topics at times.
If you like the video, check out the rest of the DEEP SLEEP course. I give it away for free right now because I truly want to help people get better sleep.
Now Let's Switch Gears a Bit and Discuss How To Get Better Sleep
Have you ever wondered how to wake up fresh and ready to crush your day?
Have you ever felt your energy level dropping to the ground after being awake for only 3 hours?
You are going to get all the answers you have always had about sleep.
But first, let’s answer a simple question…
Why do we sleep?
You have a response for that, right? You may say something like “I sleep because I don’t wanna die”. Ha! and you will be right. That’s an important one.
Well, generally…
There are a couple of theories that exist to answer this question, however, the explanation is not quite simple:
The truth lies in a combination of every one of these theories.
- Mental recovery – this is the moment where our brain recovers.
- Physical recovery – when we sleep our body recovers and builds certain tissues
- (muscles).
- Reorganize the memories and information that we accumulated during the day.
- We save energy – when we sleep, we need less energy.
What happens if we don’t sleep enough?
To answer this question we have to examine the consequences of sleep deprivation.
According to a survey, which shows that if you are only sleeping 2-3 hours less than the optimum amount of 8 hours you will have 24% more hunger throughout the day.
The increased appetite leads to overweight and risk of many other conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease in the long term.
Another big issue with sleep deprivation is that we don’t recover optimally. Even if our diet and training plans are on point we’ll have a hard time making these gains.
Furthermore, our productivity will decrease as well.
In other words, our body will suffer, our mind will suffer, our relationships will suffer.
If that isn’t enough to make you get these important 8 hours every night, we have one more thing to convince you to get more serious about it.
Short sleep duration will lose you money!
That’s right.
When you had a bad sleep as we mentioned above, you will have trouble making the right decisions or fall into bad habits.
You are not focused enough and you miss opportunities.
Missed opportunities lead to losing money.
After knowing all the consequences of bad sleeping habits, let’s jump straight into some tips that will help you.
How to get better sleep?
The truth is that the quality of your sleep is affected by a variety of factors, many we mentioned above and some of which, you may not even know matter that much…
However, there are fundamental truths about sleep, which will do the job if you go by them, so let’s have a look!
1. Create a Routine
Going to bed at the same hour every night and getting up at the same hour will make your life easier.
You should train your brain to “shut down” and wake up at specific times.
By doing this, you teach your body when it is time to rest and when it is time to progress.
2. Invest in a Good Mattress
We spend ⅓ of our lives sleeping.
With that being said, we shouldn’t compromise the good mattress because it has an important role in the quality of our sleep.
Bonus:
The pillow is also a nice investment, so spend your money wisely for a comfortable one.
3. Remember the 3 Keywords
- Cold – WebMd says 60-65 F (or 17-18 c) degrees is a perfect temperature for sleeping.
- Noise – It should be quiet in your room.
- Darkness – It must be fully dark when you sleep, so buying dark curtains is a smart idea. Turning off all lights including mood lighting.
4. Take a Hot Bath Before Sleep
It helps in reducing body temperature, which is important for sleeping. In an NPR article, Matthew Walker, a neuroscientist and sleep specialist at the University of California shares…
“We know that your core body temperature needs to drop by about 2 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit to initiate good sleep and then maintain deep sleep, The way it works is this: For you to get your heat out of the core of your body, you actually need to release that core heat through the outer perimeter surfaces of your body, namely your hands and your feet.
And this is why hot baths actually work … for the opposite reason most people think, You get into a hot bath, you get out, you think I’m nice and toasty, I get into bed and I fall asleep better because I’m warm. The opposite is true. What happens with a bath … is you actually bring all of the blood to the surface. And your hands and your feet are wonderful radiators of that heat. So you are essentially like a snake charmer — you are charming the heat out of the core of your body to the surface of your body.”
5. Reduce Caffeine Consumption
Don’t drink caffeinated beverages after late afternoon because your sleep will suffer. Anytime after 4:00 is too late. It seems caffeine can hang around for up to 8 hours.
6. Don’t Look at Your Phone, Laptop, or Even Your TV Before Bed
The blue light is damaging your sleep, so reading a book is preferable.
Final Thoughts:
If you are finally ready to get the best sleep of your life and say goodbye to insomnia and low-quality sleep, follow these tips and come back here to thank us later!
Sleep tight.
Want to learn more about how to get better sleep?
Try my new DEEP SLEEP course to really help you understand sleep better and find some practice to build a healthy sleep hygiene.