There are a multitude of factors that may reduce the quality of your sleep, understanding how you may minimize their influences can contribute greatly to the quality of your sleep.
The environment. Sleeping within an environment that is inconducive to sleep not only prolongs the time needed to fall asleep but may also interrupt sleep. Poor sleeping environments lowers the quality of your sleep, which results in waking up feeling unrested in the morning.
The quality of your mattress is crucial for the many hours of sleep every single night, investing in a quality mattress pays its dividends well. It is important to recognize your preferences for the mattress, an uneven mattress does not provide support to align your body in a comfortable position thus causes strain while you sleep, resulting in a stiff back in the morning. Waking up with a sore neck is a sure sign that the pillow is unsuitable, it no less important to find the right pillow height and consistency that suits you. Avoid mattresses and pillows that are too soft as they do not provide the support that you need.
Household pets are beloved by many and are considered a part of the household. People have reported an increase in their sleep quality in the company of their pets. However, the reverse may also be true for people who kept nocturnal pets, or any pets that may have conflicting sleep habits with their owners, demanding attention and affection from their owners during their active hours and resulting in the presences of disturbances within their sleeping environment. If your beloved pet keeps you up at night, it may be important to keep your pet securely in a separate room so their activities do not interrupt your sleep.
Lifestyle. It is important to recognize that lifestyle choices do have an impact on sleep quality. Your lifestyle may be your habits or the natural consequences of your way of life, such as your career and your way of living.
Individuals working in high-impact and high-stress jobs may find it difficult to unwind at the end of the day. Some people resort to smoking or alcohol or other means to help them relax, this is generally not recommended as alcohol and nicotine increases the time required to fall asleep and prevents the body to relax naturally while asleep. On top of that, it is important to avoid attending to any work-related matters nearing bedtime, checking your email inbox an hour before bed is not going to help you unwind after a long day at work.
Social-media or even mainstream media consumption is prevalent in this day and age be it digital or printed. By large, these contents are presented to the viewer according to the interest and the current trends and may feature contents that are exciting, violent, horrific, disgusting, controversial, unsettling or upsetting. As you can see, although not all content are of these natures, the majority of such contents might not help you to relax to prepare you for a restful night of sleep.
The same can be said for those who enjoy the thrill of high-intensity and exciting video gaming nearing bedtime. Loud sounds, gore, violence and dramatic graphics are well beloved by video gamers all over the world for the stimulation it provides. When enjoyed in moderation, it is unlikely to cause negative effects, but one should be aware of the adrenaline it provides, which can take some time to wear off before sleep can occur.
Lastly, if you are still bothered by your sleep issues after excluding all the aforementioned factors, perhaps it is time to speak with your trusted doctor to take a detailed look into your sleep problems.
