A baby looks so serene while it is sleeping. All of us had such as sleep when we were that young, but as we grew up, we picked up habits that were detrimental to our sleep and did things that we should avoid doing before hitting the sack. Some of those habits are so common that large number of us do them without realising about their detrimental effects on our sleep and overall health. Take a look at the common habits of sleep that you should break right away.
These Are Sleeping Habits You Need To Quit
Sleeping With Makeup On
It can be tiring after a long day at work or after reaching home late after a party to remove the make up you are wearing. Putting it all on had been such a task after all! So you sometimes do not care enough and simply dash into your bed. Gradually it becomes a habit. If you see wrinkles developing on your face or pimples breaking do not be surprised. You are blocking your pores and rotting your skin with make up during night.
Working Out At Night
A good work out is one that pumps up our energy and stamina. If done at night, we are preventing the release of hormones that aid sleep. If you do not find enough time to exercise in the morning, do them in the evening, at least 3-4 hours prior to sleeping. Yoga and meditation are however doable at night as they calm you and help sleeping.
Having Heavy Dinner
Heard the common saying about having breakfast like a king, lunch like a commoner and dinner like a beggar? It is because at night if your digestive system are very busy digesting excess food, you will have a hard time falling asleep. Also you will not be able to wake up early in the morning.
Not Changing Pillow Case
Pillow case we put our heads and faces on tends to catch onto the natural oil secretion of those parts. These oils attract bacteria to infect the pillow case. We may wash our face and head daily and prevent bacterial infection there, but what about the bacterial infection we can catch from 7-8 hours of direct contact with the infected pillow case? So do not wait for longer than 7-10 days before putting on washed pillow covers on your pillows.
Drinking Coffee At Night
What is the best remedy to stay awake at night to prepare for the exam next morning? Every student would say it has to be coffee. You perhaps know it and have tried it too. Caffeine can remain in our systems up to 12 hours. So it is ideal not to have coffee after sundown if you wish to spend the night without tossing and turning in the bed.
Wearing Tight Clothes To Bed
Wearing tight fitting clothes, especially undergarments to bed increases our body temperature that obstructs proper sleep. It also makes us feel less cosy. The hormone, melatonin that regulates sleep also flows improperly through the body. It is ideal to take off your undergarments and sleep in loose fitting minimal clothes or naked if you can.
Keeping Your Phone Beside Yourself
We have developed a constant habit of checking our phones for social networking site updates even while we have already gone to bed. With the lights off, just your cell phone’s glowing light strains your eyes that gives you dark circles and worsens eye sight. Also the radiation that comes out of your cell phone affects you the most when you are sleeping. So switch off your phone at night and keep it away from your bed.
Having Erratic Sleep Times
Many of us do not have a disciplined sleeping time. We sleep when we are done with our work or are finished with chatting with friends. Some times we sleep less on the weekdays and save more sleeping for the weekends. This plays havoc with our biological clock and circadian rhythm and we regenerate dead cells at a slower rate and our brain gets stressed.
Sleeping In Awkward Positions
It happens so many times with us that we wake up with a pain in a certain joint such as our neck or our knee or the shoulders. The cause is sleeping in bad posture. If you are also used to sleeping with your chin touching your chest or sleeping on your couch with your legs raised on the armrest, stop that habit. Sleep with your back to the bed or on your side and use a headrest that is not too high or stiff.
