Struggling to nod off again? (Picture: Getty)
Reading this while lying awake in bed?
You may want to stop the nighttime scrolling if you want to get back to sleep – once you’ve heard this expert’s thoughts, that is.
Around 35% of us wake up at night at least three times a week, something that becomes more common with age but can be influenced by a variety of factors.
While some people fall straight back to sleep, many struggle to nod off again once they’ve been stirred. And according to Dr Biquan Luo, it may be because they’re making these common mistakes.
The CEO of smart sleep masks company LumosTech says these mini bouts of insomnia can be down to environmental disturbances like noise and temperature, as well as health issues like sleep apnoea or restless leg syndrome.
Additionally, a ‘disruption of the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle’ – which can be caused by looking at screens – might be to blame for your fragmented rest.
Even checking the time can mess with your body’s rhythms (Picture: Getty Images)
Dr Biquan told the New York Post: ‘Checking the time can increase stress and make it harder to sleep.
‘Additionally, if you check the time on your phone, the contents of the phone may be too stimulating, which further prevents you from relaxing and falling asleep.’
Instead, she recommends staying in bed at trying to naturally get back to sleep once you wake up.
‘If you can’t fall back asleep after 10 or 15 minutes, it’s time to get out of bed,’ she added.
‘Try going to a quiet and comfortable place at home, like the couch, and engage in a quiet, low-stimulation activity, such as reading a book or doing a calming activity, until you feel sleepy again — then return to bed.’
You can also give white noise machines and breathing exercises a go, but if the problem persists it may be worth looking at your body clock.
Explaining this phenomenon, Dr Katherine Hall, resident sleep psychologist at Happy Beds, told Metro.co.uk: ‘Blue light exposure in the evening has been linked to further suppression of melatonin and interference with your circadian rhythm.’
Blue light, like that emitted from phones and LED alarm clocks, has a stimulating effect which causes alertness and, therefore, negatively impacts your sleep cycle.
To adjust your circadian rhythm, having a strict schedule each day for going to bed and waking up, using timed exposure to bright light, changing meal times, taking supplements, limiting caffeine, and exercising at different times of day should help.
Soon enough, you’ll be getting the full forty winks you deserve.
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Steer clear of clock-watching.