Trouble falling asleep remains a common type of insomnia and can even occur in people who feel tired after a day at work. Doctors remind that an adult needs seven to nine hours of sleep. If a person constantly feels tired during the day, this may be a sign of chronic lack of sleep.
According to the UK’s National Health Service, most sleep disturbances are related to daily habits and nighttime conditions. Experts have identified six factors that most often interfere with falling asleep.
Alcohol. Doctor Tim Goodwin points out that alcohol should be consumed no later than six hours before going to bed. If you drink later, alcohol disrupts REM sleep mechanisms and impairs the quality of your night’s rest.
Change of mode on weekends. NHS experts say people who sleep longer at weekends risk disrupting their circadian rhythms. The permissible excess is no more than one hour. It is optimal to go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
Daytime sleep. For those who have trouble falling asleep for a long time, it is recommended to avoid napping during the day: it reduces the body’s natural need for sleep at night.
Bright lighting and screens. Artificial light in the evening reduces melatonin production. Watching TV, using a smartphone, light from the street through thin curtains – all this can delay the moment of falling asleep.
Late meals. Eating a large meal before bed or snacking in bed often leads to discomfort and poor sleep hygiene, making it difficult to relax.
Inconvenient environment. Quietness, the temperature of the room, the quality of the mattress and pillow, the presence of pets or devices nearby can all cause anxiety. Experts advise that the bed should be associated exclusively with sleep. If you can’t fall asleep within 15–20 minutes, it’s better to get up for a while and do a quiet activity like reading.
Experts emphasize that correcting these factors in most cases helps to improve sleep without medication.
Previously, “Cursor” wrote that experts told how to quickly fall asleep if you wake up in the middle of the night.
