Insomnia

1. Blue light, more than other types of light, suppresses the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate your body’s circadian rhythm, which is your sleep-wake cycle.
2. This makes it harder for you to get good-quality sleep, which can leave you fe...

1. Blue light is any artificial lighting that emits blue wavelengths, which aren’t necessarily a bad thing.
2. During daylight hours, they can boost alertness and mood. But this isn’t the vibe you’re going for when you’re heading off to bed.
3. Ener...

Sleep inertia is a natural part of waking up, but you can limit its effects by:

• regularly getting a full night’s sleep
• limiting naps to less than 30 minutes
• drinking coffee or another caffeinated beverage when you get up

You’re more likely to experience symptoms of sleep inertia or sleep drunkenness when you:

• don’t get enough sleep
• wake up abruptly from a deep sleep
• set your alarm for earlier than usual

Sleep inertia can also be worsened by

Sleep apnea, usually obstructive sleep apnea, is a serious sleep disorder that causes your breathing to stop periodically in your sleep. You may not even realize you have the condition.

Other signs and symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• snoring
• gasping for air during sleep

1. Sleep movement disorders are conditions that cause movement before or during sleep, making it hard to fall or stay asleep.
2. Some common sleep movement disorders are:

• restless leg syndrome , which ca...

1. Avoiding drinking liquids for at least two hours before bedtime.
2. Cutting back on caffeine and alcohol-containing beverages.
3. Wearing compression socks during the day if you have swollen ankles and legs or ...

1. Drinking too much of anything too close to bedtime can make you frequently get up to urinate throughout the night. This can also happen in certain situations if you’re retaining a lot of fluid.
2. Excessive urinati...

Caffeine is a natural stimulant that promotes alertness.

Having too much caffeine during the day or having it too close to bedtime can:

• make it harder to fall asleep
• make it harder to stay asleep
• increase the number of times you go to the bathroom overnight

1. Even if you’re the type of person who can fall asleep with the TV on, noise can still have a big impact on your sleep quality.
2. Reducing background noise can help to increase the amount of deep sleep you get each night and decrease the number of times you wake up during the night.

1. It’s not unusual to wake up feeling a bit groggy. For many people, it’s nothing a cup of coffee or shower can’t fix.
2. Chances are, your morning grogginess is just sleep inertia, which is a normal part of the waking process. Your brain typically doesn’t instantly wake up after sleeping...

1. Keeping your bedroom between 60°F and 67°F (16°C and 19°C).
2. Wearing socks to bed or placing a hot water bottle at your feet.
3. Choosing appropriate sleepwear and bedding for your local climate.

1. If within the first few hours of falling asleep, you suddenly wake up from a deep sleep and are in a confused state, you may have sleep drunkenness.
2. Also called confusional arousals, sleep drunkenness is a sleep ...

1. During this transition period, you may feel groggy or disoriented. If you aren’t careful, you can easily fall back asleep.
2. Sleep inertia slows down your motor and cognitive skills, which is why it sometimes feels impossible to do anything right after you wake up.
3. Sleep inerti...

1. Avoid screen time for two or three hours before you go to bed.
2. Use dim red lights at night, which don’t have as powerful of a melatonin-suppressing effect on your circadian rhythm.
3. Expose yourself to a lot of bright light during the day.
4. Use blue-blocking glasses at n...

1. If your morning fatigue is accompanied by stiffness or aching body parts, your mattress could be to blame.
2. A medium-firm mattress is best. The age of your mattress also matters. A small 2009 stu...

1. Replacing your mattress every 9 or 10 years, ideally with a medium-firm mattress.
2. Using a hypoallergenic mattress cover if you have allergies.

1. Avoid having caffeine three to seven hours before bed.
2. Limit your intake of coffee or other caffeinated beverages to one or two servings a day.
3. Check medications for caffeine content.

1. Alcohol has been shown to have a sedative effect and make you sleepy, but it doesn’t lead to a good sleep.
2. Alcohol increases the number of times you wake up once the relaxing effect wears off and prevents you from getting deep sleep.
3. The more alcohol you consume before bed, ...