A good night’s sleep is as important as following a balanced meal plan and exercising regularly. Poor sleeping habits have an adverse effect on your hormones and the functioning of the brain. It can interfere with your cognitive functions as well as physical health. Tossing and turning every night causes sleep disturbance. There are many reasons for this, including poor sleep hygiene. Therefore, you need to follow a proper sleep routine to maintain your health.

Here are a few things that you should avoid for a healthy sleep cycle.

Avoid making poor food choices before bedtime
Don’t overeat or starve yourself before bedtime. It is best to avoid having a heavy meal three hours before bedtime. Overeating can trigger heartburn , and this can cause delays in falling asleep. Also, try to avoid caffeine-based products as they have stimulating effects on your body, which may further interfere with your sleep. They will initially make you feel drowsy but later disrupt your sleep cycle. It is also said that such beverages can increase the symptoms of snoring, sleep apnea, and disrupted sleep patterns. Also, harmful substances can reduce the production of melatonin during night-time, leading to sleep deprivation. Late night binges on greasy, processed foods like pizza, and burgers may also affect your sleep.

Cut down on daytime naps
Napping at the wrong time of day may be harmful if you habitually do it. Also, napping should be an hour at maximum. When you have a late-night work schedule, you might take a nap to make up for your sleep debt. Short power naps are important to keep yourself active throughout the day, but long and irregular naps can negatively affect your sleep cycle. By sleeping during the daytime, your body clock gets confused, causing you to struggle to sleep at night.

Don’t overheat the bedroom
The temperature of your room plays an important role in maintaining your sleep cycle. Don’t overheat your bedroom. A temperature that is higher than 24 degrees is too stuffy for a restful sleep. Also, don’t move work to your room. It is a place that is associated with rest and sleep. Don’t make your room too cold, too, as it will disrupt your sleep for washroom breaks. This also creates a disturbance for sound sleep.

Cut down the screen time
The blue light that emits from devices like laptops, TVs, mobile phones, and tablets can affect your sleep. More than two hours of screen time during the night can seriously disrupt melatonin levels. Also, the kind of content you are watching on these screens can have adverse effect on your body as well as sleep cycle. You should avoid doing things that stimulate your brain before bedtime. Also, don’t play games on your phone for an hour before bed. Putting your gadgets away two hours before bedtime can help you catch sleep as soon as you lie down. Be mindful of late-night scrolling. Just like soft music can induce sleep, mindless scrolling on these gadgets can take your mind off other things.

Don’t overthink while trying to get sleep
Manu people overthink about the following day’s activities. If you want to fall asleep, stop bringing disturbing thoughts to your mind while lying on the bed. Keep your tension at bay if you wish to fall asleep quickly. The more you worry about getting rest, the higher the chances that you won’t be able to sleep at all. Just let go of your worries, and try to get back to what your body naturally wants to do. Don’t feel anxious if you are unable to sleep. Apart from overthinking, stress is a major cause of delayed sleep. You might have faced a situation when you snuggled into bed only to lie awake for hours. Play soothing music or meditate to sleep better. Studies have proved that mindfulness meditation can improve your sleep quality and decrease disturbance in case you suffer from chronic insomnia. Activities like guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation can bring about a state of mind that is more conducive to falling asleep.

Role of melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced by a gland near your brain. This hormone regulates the sleep-wake cycle. The body naturally produces this, but if you have a deficiency, you can take it as a supplement. But if nothing gives results and your sleep deprivation gets worse, consult a therapist for better treatment options.

Why is sleep quality important?
Sleep quality is vital for maintaining a person’s optimal health and, thereby, overall well-being. Poor sleep increases your risk of cardiac diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It can also weaken your immune system making you vulnerable to infections. Poor sleep is also linked to depression.

When should you approach a health practitioner?
Almost everyone might have faced occasional sleepless nights. In case you face trouble sleeping very often, you should consult a health practitioner. Sleep disturbances should not be taken lightly because they can be due to many underlying reasons. Gastroesophageal reflux disease can cause sleep interruption due to heartburn. It is always better to seek the help of a licensed healthcare practitioner to identify and treat the cause.

In all, the quantity and quality of sleep you get in a day play a vital role in maintaining overall health. It determines your overall physical and mental well-being. If you wish to enjoy good physical and mental health, it is advised that you should consider attaining a good sleep pattern. You can try the above-mentioned tips if you are facing issues with your sleep cycle. These suggestions will make a difference in your life. If things still don’t get better, talk to a therapist at the earliest. They may recommend other elements to improve sleep quality, leading to a healthy body, mind, and soul.