Having a healthy sleep habit could already make a big difference in your quality of life, you feel well-rested and it makes you feel less irritable. Sleep is also an important indicator of our overall health and well-being, that's why having healthy sleep habits is sometimes referred as to having good sleep hygiene.
While most people tend to fall asleep easier, others find it hard to do it. What are the possible reasons why some people don't sleep well?
Here are the four common mistakes that could be the culprit behind poor sleep, according to Medical Daily.
You make yourself busy right before you go to sleep
Experts recommend don't keep yourself busy before going to bed as you may find it hard to sleep because you make brain productive. Dr. Teofilo Lee-Chiong, a sleep expert based in Denver, Colorado, said that we should always take some time to relax before sleeping.
He suggests that a good rule of thumb is to start winding down at least one or two hours before bedtime. He also said that we should allow our mind to relax - avoid exercising, thinking about fears and problems, and getting into an argument.
Not changing your pillows and mattress frequently
The National Sleep Foundation suggests replacing your mattress every eight years or so. Meanwhile, the durability of pillows tend to vary more, so you can change them every one to two years - depending on their quality. Some people don't sleep well due to old pillows and mattress as they sometimes suffer from allergies because of dust mites.
Sleeping in "prone sleep position"
Many sleep experts say that prone sleep position - like sleeping on your stomach - could trigger unwanted side effects. For instance, you may develop headaches or neck strain due to your head position while sleeping. Such positions could also add pressure to the joints and flatten the spine - which leads to lower back pain.
Don't catch up on sleep during weekends
A lot of people sleep during weekends as they believe they could catch up on lost sleep they had the entire week. But, according to Dr. Robert Rosenberg of Sleep Disorders Centers of Prescott Valley, Arizona, this is not a good habit. He said that sleeping extra hours on weekends wouldn't help us to catch up on our lost sleep.
Catching up sleep on weekends could likely disrupt our normal sleep-wake schedule and that going to bed on a Sunday night might be impossible. It's still better to get at least seven hours of sleep every night, rather than paying all our lost sleep during Friday or Saturday.
