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If recent research is anything to be believed, one of the most pervasive health and wellness issues affecting us at the moment is a chronic lack of sleep.
According to public health information put out by the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) — which is a US federal agency charged with the protection and promotion of human health — around one in three American adults is sleep deprived.
While many of us might be used to experiencing a lack of sleep on a weekly basis — particularly for those of us with demanding childcare, work or educational commitments — this doesn’t mean we should not be worried about the impact that getting less than seven hours of sleep a night could have on us.
Sleep deprivation is responsible for both chronic and acute health issues. Even missing out on an hour less than the seven hours of recommended minimum sleep can result in long-term health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and dementia, in addition to mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. Sleep deprivation is also estimated to have caused around 1,500 deaths and 40,000 personal injury accidents in the US each year.
With these figures in mind, it is little surprise that organizations such as the CDC are now viewing sleep deprivation as one of the most pressing public health problems we face.
Despite this worrying trend, there is cause for hope. Over the last year, one of the most popular health and wellness trends has been an increased focus on fixing disrupted sleeping patterns. This has included everything from “sleep tourism”, where luxury hotels offer packages designed for the chronically sleepy, to the growing popularity of “sleep hacking”.
For those experiencing issues getting a good night’s rest, the causes can often seem mysterious and completely out of our control. Some of you might even have resigned yourself to simply being a “bad sleeper”.
For many of you experiencing disrupted sleep, however, this is not necessarily the case. Frankly, you would be surprised at which habits and activities can affect your sleeping patterns.
With that said, let’s take a look at some recent research which has shed light on the surprising habits impacting your sleep quality!
Table of Contents
Pre-bedtime stimulation
Although you might have associated many of these activities with reduced sleep outcomes, you might be surprised that activities such as watching a comedy film, listening to music and mobile gaming are associated with good-quality sleep.
Perhaps most surprisingly, this even included activities such as online casino gaming, which didn’t seem to negatively impact the quality of sleep participants experienced in comparison to other activities such as reading a book or meditating.
What this data shows us is that we should pay attention to the kinds of activities of we engage in before hitting the hay!
Heat and temperature
Another important factor that will impact the quality of sleep you get has to do with the environmental temperature you are snoozing in.
A recent National Sleep Foundation poll reveals that a cool room temperature tends to promote good sleep. Although this will vary between individuals, the optimal temperature seems to be around 18.3 degrees Celsius (65 degrees Fahrenheit).
Colder temperatures tend to help you get into a deeper sleep. So, if you want to ensure you get a good night’s rest, we recommend cracking the windows of your bedroom open just before you get into bed, and not going overboard with the blankets!
Caffeine consumption
Although it is fairly obvious that caffeine can have an impact on how much quality sleep you are able to get, what is surprising is just how easy it is to disrupt your sleep when you consume these beverages.
The daily recommended threshold for caffeine consumption is around 400mg, which equates to roughly four cups of coffee spread throughout the day. However, although you might be able to comfortably consume four cups of coffee, the timing of when you consume them will have a huge impact on the quality of sleep you get.
The half-life of caffeine is around four to six hours for most people, which means it takes your body this length of time to process half the caffeine contained in it. So, depending on when you consume your coffee during the day, most of the caffeine could still be lingering in your system when you are trying to get to sleep.
To avoid this, we recommend sticking to a cut-off point of around 2-3 pm to ensure that the caffeine has been fully processed before you go to bed at night.
