Can’t sleep well? See 8 ways you could be sabotaging your sleep

As a child, you probably had a bedtime routine: shower, change into pajamas, brush your teeth, and curl up with your favorite book. Maybe on the weekends you could stay up for another half hour. Remember not worrying about the alarm clock when getting enough sleep was your parents’ responsibility? Yes, that was in the past.

While adulthood brings the freedom to go to bed whenever you want, not having a routine that prepares your body for adequate rest is one of the many bad habits that could be harming your sleep health.

Adequate rest offers numerous short- and long-term benefits for your physical and mental health, from reducing stress and improving memory to decreasing your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC). Getting enough sleep can even save lives, the agency points out, as rested drivers are less likely to cause traffic accidents that result in injuries and deaths.

You probably know what you should do to get a good night’s sleep—like lowering the temperature in your room—even though putting these habits into practice is easier said than done. Additionally, you may be inadvertently engaging in behaviors that sabotage your sleep. Here are eight to watch out for.

1. Treating your body like a machine with an off switch

You can’t turn off your body like you can your laptop. If you’ve ever had rough nights when your body was exhausted but sleep wouldn’t come, it might be because you hoped that just lying in bed would quiet your racing mind.

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends setting aside an hour of “quiet time” before bed. You can spend this time reading, meditating, listening to calming music, or taking a warm bath—anything that relaxes you and doesn’t involve bright artificial light. It can be helpful to set a wind-down alarm an hour before you plan to sleep.

Dr. Eric Sklar, a neurologist and medical director of the Inova Sleep Disorders Program in Northern Virginia, has previously said that relaxation time at night is crucial for a healthy circadian rhythm, or body clock. Keeping this clock up to date can help prevent one of the most common disorders that Sklar treats: insomnia.

2. Sleeping and waking up at inconsistent times
   
   Let’s assume your weekday sleep schedule is 11pm to 7am, perhaps a little late for an early bird and early for a night owl. If you’re the latter, you may be tempted to stay up late and sleep in on the weekends, perhaps sleeping from 2am to 10am. Early risers may want to go to bed at 8pm and wake up at dawn to start their weekend to-do lists.

However, maintaining a consistent sleep-wake schedule, including weekends, is another component of a healthy circadian rhythm and quality rest. Sleep regularity can even strengthen your survival, as well as improve your overall health, according to a study of nearly 61,000 people published in the January issue of the journal . Researchers found that sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration, and that people with more irregular sleep patterns have a higher risk of premature death.

If you find yourself in sleep debt, however, the National Sleep Foundation says it’s acceptable to sleep up to two extra hours on days you’re not working.

People who work nontraditional schedules are at risk for a circadian rhythm disruption called shift work sleep disorder (SWSD). If you think you have SWSD, your primary care doctor or a sleep specialist can help.

3. Taking long naps and napping too close to bedtime

In some Asian and European countries with hot climates, afternoon naps—the Spanish siesta might come to mind—provide a midday respite from both work and scorching temperatures. Naps aren’t as revered in the U.S., but many Americans reap their restorative power. Still, napping without a strategy can harm your sleep health.

If you want to nap, do so as far away from your desired bedtime as possible, Alaina Tiani, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center, previously told Fortune, recommending “smart naps” that don’t last more than 30 minutes.

“This increases the likelihood that your brain will stay in the lighter stages of sleep and that you will wake up refreshed,” she said. “When we nap for much longer, we can enter deeper stages of sleep from which it can be more difficult to wake up.”

Consult your doctor if you are unable to stay awake during the day or notice a sudden increase in the need for naps.

4. Eat large meals before bed

The Cleveland Clinic recommends not eating three hours before bed. Because resistance to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar, increases at night, your body stores late meals as fat while you sleep. Over time, this increases the risk of obesity and cardiometabolic disease. Additionally, eating a large dinner close to bedtime can cause conditions such as heartburn, indigestion, and acid reflux. Not to mention, it’s hard to make sensible food choices when you’re exhausted.

But if you need a midnight snack, there is hope; Research suggests that nutrient-dense snacks containing fewer than 200 calories can be consumed late at night without harming your health.

5. Relax with alcohol

A nightcap may sound appealing, a rich sedative to ease tension before bed. But while alcohol may initially make you feel drowsy, it can interrupt your sleep hours later. Research has shown that large amounts of alcohol before bed cause poor quality sleep.

Chronic sleep disturbances are a feature of alcohol abuse and dependence. If you are struggling with alcohol use, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Alcohol Treatment Navigator can provide support.

6. Consuming caffeine and nicotine too late

You don’t have to give up your coffee or tea after dinner — just opt ​​for decaffeinated varieties. The exact time to switch from regular to decaf coffee is debated; the CDC, for example, recommends stopping caffeine after noon, while an analysis published last year in the journal advocates eliminating coffee about nine hours before bed. Since sensitivity to caffeine varies from person to person, listen to your body to know when it’s time to switch to decaf.

Like caffeine, nicotine is a stimulant known to cause sleep disturbances, and research has shown that smokers get lower quality sleep than nonsmokers.

7. Not drinking enough water during the day

You know your own bladder, but drinking too much water too close to bedtime can result in middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom. Ensuring you’re adequately hydrated during the day can eliminate these urinary calls and help you sleep better.

Your body is mostly water, which does everything from regulate your temperature to cushion your bones. When you are dehydrated, your body cannot function properly, much less recover properly. On the other hand, dehydration may be linked to shorter sleep duration. In 2018, researchers at Penn State found that adults who slept six hours a night instead of eight were more likely to be inadequately hydrated.

8. Exercise before bed
   
   Regular exercise is key to good sleep hygiene, according to the CDC, and physical activity—whenever you can fit it in—is better than nothing. However, doing a vigorous workout within a few hours of bedtime can compromise a restful night’s sleep.

Your circadian rhythm signals your core body temperature to decrease before bed; exercise elevates it. Exercise also triggers the release of endorphins, feel-good chemicals that can also keep you awake.