There are a number of health conditions that can affect your sleep quality and duration. These include.
- Arthritis
- Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- Sleep apnea
- Depression
- Enlarged prostate
- Menopause
- Restless leg syndrome (RLS)
- Neuropathy
These conditions can affect your breathing, cause pain that keeps you awake, cause you to have to urinate more frequently, experience tingling or jumping sensations in your legs, breathing problems, or heartburn and indigestion. All of these can make sleeping nearly impossible. If you have or suspect that you have one of these conditions, speak to your doctor about treatment options.
There are many lifestyle choices that we make daily that can affect our sleep. Light in our room or looking at screens too close to bedtime can make sleeping difficult. Both alcohol and caffeine before bed will either keep you up or decrease your sleep quality. Eating too close to bedtime, especially spicy food, can cause stomach upset and prevent your body from entering a truly restful sleep. Smoking, not getting enough exercise, and napping late in the day will also affect you. Consider the lifestyle habits you have currently to determine whether or not you need to make changes to improve your sleep quality.
The best thing you can do for your sleep quality is to get yourself onto a proper sleep schedule. Make sure that where you are sleeping is comfortable and as dark as possible. Do your best to go to sleep and wake up around the same time each day. If you aren’t sleepy at all, don’t try to force it. Do an activity that you know will often make you feel sleepy, such as reading a book. Don’t lie in bed waiting for sleep to come for more than 20 minutes. Again, this is where an activity such as reading might help, or meditation or breathing exercises.
Get sufficient exercise throughout your day, and avoid consuming caffeine late in the day as well as alcohol too close to bedtime. Allow for at least two to three hours of digestion between dinnertime and bedtime. Finally, if you currently smoke, consider quitting. If you are waking up at 3 am only occasionally, this likely isn’t something you should be worried about. Everyone has this experience every once in a while. It’s only when it becomes a chronic issue that is affecting your life that you should seek help. If this is you, speak with your doctor to help determine the best course of action for you.
