There are days when I wake up in the middle of the night and lie awake staring the ceiling, counting imaginary stars. Like many of you, there have been many times I have not been satisfied with my sleep no matter how many hours I spent in bed with my eyes closed. Sleep duration has nothing to do with sleep satisfaction.
The conditions surrounding your sleep and how well they act to influence and support your sleep habits are what influence sleep satisfaction. Adequate sleep is all about how it makes you feel. How much do you enjoy your sleep? Or how good do you feel after waking up? Answering these questions should help guide you to see where you fall on the sleep satisfaction spectrum.
If you answered lack positive responses, then you are most likely not satisfied with your sleep. Do not worry, like many others you are in this dissatisfied state due to some aspects surrounding your sleep. Take a look at our top 5 reasons that you are not satisfied with your sleep and some bonus tips to guide you to more satisfactory sleep.
Your internal clock is all over the place
The circadian rhythm, popularly known as our sleep-wake cycle is responsible for your sleep-wake cycling and dictates when you should go to bed and when you should arise. A well adjusted and condition rhythm will direct your body to require sleep at regular times every day and help you fall asleep way easily. If your rhythm is messed up, you decrease your chances of getting regular, consistent sleep. Irregular sleep is not only unhealthy for the body but does not leave the body feeling satisfied. In fact, irregular sleep contributes to building your sleep debt and disrupting our cycles. An irregular rhythm makes you feel less well rested.
Light emitting gadgets in the bedroom
Many of us carry our phones, tablets, and laptops to our bedrooms without considering how poorly the blue light they emit influences our sleep and our satisfied state. First, of these gadgets are engaging and stimulating; they distract us from the primary goal which is sleep. To feel good about your sleep, you must mold your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary that promotes and maintains sleep. Additionally, these light emitting gadgets suppress the production of melatonin, the sleep-wake cycle regulating hormone and negatively influences your sleep cycle.
You carry tense and stressful emotions with you
Everyone is bound to encounter stressful situations once in a while. There are times when we allow our anxiety and stress to affect various aspects of our lives including sleep. You may think, well it can’t be helped, but it can. Because the overall impact stress has on your mental and physical state, you may have difficulty falling asleep. When you finally force yourself to sleep, you may wake up constantly throughout the night and eventually end up in an unsatisfied state.
Some significant lifestyle changes
Some major changes in your life may negatively influence your degree of satisfaction. These changes are not necessarily negative. They, however, carry a substantial enough impact that affects several aspects of your sleep and eventually influence how satisfied you are with your sleep. New parents, for example, have decreased satisfaction in their sleep, not because they aren’t happy, but they have experienced a major change in lifestyle. Babies are great, but they require attention regardless of what time it is. The result is interference in your regular sleep cycle, to accommodate your new muffin. Before you can fully adjust to the new conditions, you may experience several sleepless nights or unsatisfactory sleep sessions.
Also Read: Family Doctors Are Passe – Family Nutritionists Are In | By Shubi Husain
Some preexisting conditions
There are instances when some already existent issues present some sleep associated symptoms. These manifestations play a role in interfering with sound sleep and end up affecting the quality of sleep you receive. Sleep apnea, for example, may be accompanied by snoring. The snoring coupled with apnea episodes might keep you up for long intervals before you all go back to sleep or, the might not necessarily wake you up but leave you in a fatigued irritable state.
Some Ways To Monitor And Improve Your Sleep Wake Cycle And Sleep Satisfaction
Get a sleep journal
Sleep satisfaction is measured by the presence of positive feelings towards your sleep. Recording on your journal the feelings you harbor towards your sleep and the degrees to which you enjoy it will help you establish where you lie on the satisfaction scale. The notes may help you pinpoint the specific aspect of sleep you do not particularly find satisfactory and steer you towards fixing the problem.
Make some adjustments
Your sleep quality may benefit from some tweaks to your lifestyle and bedroom environment. When you experience high-quality sleep, your body and mind begin to feel content, and you may just experience adequate sleep. Some of the most critical aspects of your environment are temperature, light, and bed. When you modify these, you may have an easier time falling asleep and remaining in that state.
The mattress especially plays a large role in supporting all your sleep tendencies and may positively influence your experiences. Finding a good mattress from manufacturers such as sleepys is one of the bigger steps towards better sleeping conditions conditions and the best part is being able to mail order mattress from the comfort of your home.
Lifestyle changes including watching what you eat especially at night and regular exercises may benefit your sleep. When you remove the bad substances from your body which are inhibiting sleep and indulge in more sleep promoting diets, you may notice a positive turn in how you enjoy your sleep.
Ask for help when you need it
Although some changes to your lifestyle are positive, they might carry some negative influences to your sleep. Having a baby, for example, is great, but you may find it difficult to keep up with the demanding parenting role. Sometimes, assistance from your partner, friend or family might ease the burden of doing everything and give you the chance to also take care of yourself.
A good night’s sleep and some TLC might be just what you need to get back up on that parenting horse. Setting up a plan or schedule is useful to ensure you get enough quality rest that you can enjoy and appreciate.
Also Read: Top 10 Foods To Make Your Sleep Wake Cycle Better
Final word
When you understand why you are unsatisfied, then you can make certain changes that will help improve your sleep and how well you enjoy it. These methods should help improve your sleep quality and help appreciate each sleep session.
Also Read:
– Blue Light Filter Benefits & Myths
