The house is too quiet. Did I lock the front door? I forgot to respond to that email, again. If I fall asleep now, I’ll only get six hours. Why can’t I sleep? Do I have to pee? Why does my back hurt? Maybe I’ll just look at my phone until I feel tired. If I fall asleep now, I’ll still get five and a half hours...
Do these thoughts sound familiar? If you’re one of the 33% of adults, 52% of pregnant women, or 36% to 88% of COVID-positive people who struggle with insomnia, then you’ve probably had your own set of racing, random thoughts keeping you up at night.
As it turns out, many of our daily habits can make insomnia worse. So, we spoke to experts for advice on what mindless habits should be avoided to get better sleep. Their answers were (literally) eye-opening.
1. Looking at screens before bed.
2. Having the TV on in your bedroom.
3. Engaging in social interaction.
4. Working from your bed — at any time of day.
5. Reading a thriller.
6. Eating just before bed.
7. Exercising too close to bedtime.
8. Drinking alcohol before bed.
9. Drinking coffee too late in the day.
10. Not getting enough sunlight.
11. Having inconsistent sleep and wake times.
12. Not giving yourself enough wind-down time or setting a bedtime routine.
13. Not having a calming sleep environment.
14. Ruminating over your thoughts.
And please keep in mind: Some people do have undiagnosed sleep disorders.
If you’ve tried to change these habits and are still struggling with sleep, you could be experiencing an undiagnosed sleep disorder.
“There are real sleep disorders that can impact on a person’s wakefulness at night,” Ford said. “Delayed sleep phase disorder often manifests as not being sleepy in the evening, and people find themselves up and doing things like scrolling social media. They believe they are ‘procrastinating’ bedtime, but in reality, they have a disorder of the body clock that means they are doing the activities because they aren’t sleepy, not [that] they aren’t sleepy because of the activities.”
To help you get the best night’s sleep you can, make an appointment with a sleep disorder specialist. Prioritizing sleep is important.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.