World Sleep Day 2023: 5 Daily Habits Leading To Poor Sleep, Check What Expert Says

World Sleep Day: Poor quality sleep has been known to be linked to many lifestyle and hormonal disorders and impaired mental and cognitive functions. Let's check out some of the lifestyle habits that lead to poor sleep.

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By Dr Manoj Kutteri

Needless to say that sleep is one of the most important aspects that determine one’s health and immunity. The feeling of happiness, freshness, energy, and motivation one gets after a good night's sleep is beyond words. Poor quality sleep has been known to be linked to many lifestyle and hormonal disorders and impaired mental and cognitive functions. 

World Sleep Day: 5 Reasons Why You Are Sleeping Poorly

Although the lack of sleep is not the only reason why someone feels tired and exhausted, a lot of us have trouble catching up on a healthy sleeping pattern. Here are the few lifestyle problems why our sleep gets disturbed.

1. Poor Diet Patterns

One of the determinants of good sleep is proper nutrition. Melatonin is the sleep-aiding hormone that is naturally released in the body and it is only produced with good food, exercise, meditation, or when you are relaxed. A diet that is low in magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, and key vitamins and minerals can negatively impact your sleep. Hence one should consume foods that contain naturally occurring melatonin such as grapes, cherries, broccolis corn, asparagus, tomato, mango, pomegranate, olive, cucumber, oats, rice, and barley; as well as nuts and seeds such as peanuts, walnuts, flaxseeds, watermelon seeds, mustard seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.

2. Too Much Caffeine Late In The Day

Caffeine is such a common substance that is consumed by most of us in one way or another. Though it instantly helps to increase our energy and recharge our systems, consuming it late in the evening can disrupt your sleeping rhythm and cycles. Hence it is always advisable to not consume caffeine after 4 pm.

3. Sleeping During Day Time

Power naps that are short in duration help our body to conserve energy and boost productivity. However, long-duration sleep during the day can interact with our nighttime sleep. Hence one should avoid sleeping during the day for more than 15-20 minutes.

4. Too Much Light or High Noise Levels

A cozy environment is a must for quality sleep. Bright light and heavy sounds distract one and affect good sleep. We should make the room as comfortable as we could with dim lights, good aroma, and as much soundproofing as possible. Also, too much of exercise or no exercise can both hamper the sleep experience.

5. Stress And Other Negative Emotions

Going to bed after a stressful day or being angry can impair our sleep. Overthinking or lack of work-life balance is one of the major reasons for wakefulness at night. Listening to good music or meditating can help manage this to some extent.

What Is Considered Too Much Sleep?

The amount of sleep a person needs can vary depending on age, lifestyle, and overall health. As a general guideline, adults typically require between 7-8 hours of sleep per night, and children and the elderly need about 8-9 hours. Sleeping more than 9-10 hours can be considered too much sleep and can lead to fatigue, lethargy, and grogginess. This can also be seen in some disease conditions such as hypothyroidism, depression, diabetes, obesity, and sleep apnea. Individuals who are on certain medications or health conditions might require slightly more than the normal sleep duration of sleep.

(Disclaimer: Dr Manoj Kutteri is the CEO & Medical Director of Atmantan Wellness Centre. The views expressed in this article are those of the author. Zee News doesn't confirm this.)