Having trouble sleeping?
Ask yourself these 6 questions
Need extra caffeine to get through the day? It could mean something isn’t working when it comes to your sleeping and waking routines. According to research from the sleep-tracking and smart-alarm app Sleepwave, 73% of Americans wake up feeling tired at least two times a week, and 83% admit to snoozing their alarm regularly.
“Sleep is a global struggle,” says sleep expert Nancy Rothstein, Sleepwave’s sleep ambassador. “As much as 45% of the global population is sleep deficient—and that’s not talking about people with sleep disorders.”
The reason sleep deficiency is so widespread comes down to biology versus behavior. “Our biology was formed eons ago,” explains Rothstein, “but our behaviors have changed—particularly thanks to Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates, getting us the light bulb and bringing day into night. Our physiology, mental, emotional, and spiritual selves are all crying out, ‘I can’t sustain this.’ The irony is that our bodies are designed to sleep.”
Correcting the problem requires you to go back to the biology versus behavior dilemma. Rothstein suggests asking yourself “the sleepy six” questions that can help you determine the changes you should make to improve your sleep:
How much caffeine did I consume?
As many of us know, caffeine consumed near bedtime can impact your sleep cycles, making it hard to fall or stay asleep. But it’s not just coffee and energy drinks, says Rothstein.
“It’s also in chocolate,” she says. “That piece of cake after dinner can mean you’ll be up all night if you’re sensitive to caffeine.”
Caffeine can stay in your body for several hours. While some people claim they can drink an espresso before bed, Rothstein says she’d like to hook them up to electrodes to see what’s really happening in their brains.
“For someone who has trouble staying asleep, they should stop caffeine around noon or at least by 4 p.m. because it impacts the quality of your sleep,” she says. “Caffeine is also very dehydrating. If you wake up thirsty during the night, it can be one of the culprits. Try stopping caffeine early for two days and see what happens.”
Where’s my phone?
You probably know that you shouldn’t be on your phone before bed. It emits blue light, which mimics the brain’s response to daylight. While it’s ideal to keep your phone out of your bedroom, it’s also probably unrealistic, especially for those with aging parents or other potentially urgent concerns. Also, many people use their phones as an alarm clock or white noise machine.
If possible, Rothstein recommends turning off your notifications when you go to sleep. If you’re worried about missing an urgent call, you can whitelist certain people, such as a spouse, child, or parent. Then refrain from looking at your phone.
“If you get up at 3 a.m. to use the bathroom and look at your phone as a clock, you’ve exposed yourself to blue light, which isn’t good,” she says. “Also, you’re probably going to be counting how many more hours you have to sleep, so you’ve also activated your brain.”
When do I really need to wake up?
Snooze buttons are a waste of sleep, allowing you to set an optimal wake time that you can change in the moment. Instead, the question you need to answer is what’s the best time to wake up?
“It depends on the individual,” says Rothstein. “There are night owls and larks. However, if you’ve got to be at work at 8 o’clock or 9 o’clock, you may not have a choice of waking up at the time that’s best for you.”
Traditional advice is to determine when you need to wake up, then back up the hours you need of quality sleep to determine a bedtime.
“A good night’s sleep begins when you wake up, and a good day begins when you go to sleep,” says Rothstein. “The decisions you make in the morning are going to influence the rest of your day and, in turn, your sleep.”
When did I last exercise?
Exercise and movement are important to your sleep, but Rothstein says that when you work out can impact how well your rest.
“It isn’t great to do it within three hours of going to bed,” she says. “We’re back to biology versus behavior. When we were running around and living in caves, we weren’t running around in the dark doing stuff; there was no light. It wasn’t safe and you went to bed.”
Exercise is stimulating and raises your body temperature just when you need to soothe yourself and transition to sleep.
“Some gentle stretches like [yoga’s] Child’s Pose might be good before going to sleep, but true exercise a good three hours before bed, or in the morning or afternoon is preferable,” says Rothstein. “If you can do it midday, it’s great. Going for a walk is a great way of reenergizing yourself instead of getting another cup of coffee.”
What sounds are in my sleeping environment?
Ideally, your bedroom should be cool, dark, and quiet. If you live in a busy city, however, sound pollution can be a problem. Some people need sounds to soothe them or drown out unwanted noise. Natural sounds, like the waves or rain, can be good ways to calm your brain and transition to sleep.
Be selective with the apps you choose, cautions Rothstein. “You don’t want your phone playing all kinds of ads that require you to look at it,” she says.
What did I have for dinner—and when?
Dinner impacts your sleep in terms of both when you eat and what you have.
For example, if you had a steak and baked potato with a beer and a piece of cheesecake at 9 p.m., and you go to bed at 10 p.m., your body is going to ask, “Do you want me to use all the enzymes that I need to digest? Or do you want me to be horizontal?” says Rothstein.
“The body temperature will lower and have this competition between rest and digest,” she says. Instead, avoid having a heavy meal close to bedtime, and allow yourself at least three hours after you finish to digest.