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You're not alone. Read our guide to getting the best sleep of your life every night.
According to the CDC, over 1 in 3 American adults report getting less than 7 hours of sleep a night. There are a bunch of reasons why you might be exhausted and can’t sleep. Some are simple and easy to pinpoint, like that extra cup of coffee after 3pm, but others are more complex. Keep reading to learn more.
In the short-term, like a few days, probably not too much. You will probably be excessively tired and not be operating on full cylinders. Any longer than this, and it starts to cause real problems with your mental and physical health. Getting enough quality sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health.
It is recommend for adults to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night.
Getting less than 7 hours of quality sleep each night has been linked to a whole host of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, a compromised immune system, and hormonal imbalances. Interestingly, getting too much sleep has been linked to the same health problems. While it’s nice to sleep in on the weekends, it’s important not to make a habit of oversleeping. Try to stay in the 7-9 hour zone every night.
1. Eat Magnesium, Calcium, and Potassium
In addition to building strong bones, producing your next heartbeat, and hundreds of other roles in the body, the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium are essential to falling and staying asleep.
2. Avoid Light Exposure After Sundown
In addition to being required for vision, light plays an important role in the sleep cycle and hormone secretion. Our bodies’ functions are synchronized with this cycle and therefore also reliant on light exposure. That is during daytime our body performs functions associated with activity, while functions associated with rest and healing take place at night.
3. Get Excited During the Day, But Not Before Bed
Pre-sleep cognitive arousal has been cited as an important contributor to the development and preservation of insomnia and increases in stress or worries before bedtime are associated with sleep impairments [17]. In one study, researchers compared 15 subjects under 2 conditions: pre-sleep cognitive arousal and no pre-sleep cognitive arousal [18].
