Have you ever woken up feeling more exhausted than when you went to sleep? If so, your bad sleep habits might be ruining your day. Here are some of the most common and awful habits that will ruin your morning, noon, and evening:

  • Alcohol before bedtime
  • Eating heavy food right before bedtime
  • Forgetting to create a good sleep environment
  • Paying more attention to your phone or computer than sleep

The good news is that you can do plenty of things to get better sleep by addressing these issues.

1) Why drinking affects sleep

Alcohol can affect your sleep in many ways; it can cause sleep to be shallow and light. Furthermore, it's a diuretic, which can cause you to make multiple visits to the bathroom, thereby disrupting your sleep. More worryingly is that alcoholics begin to have less REM sleep, which is essential for deep, restorative and healing sleep.

2) Why a good sleep environment is important

A good sleep environment is conducive to sleep. Make sure there are no distractions, like a computer or TV, and try turning down the heat. A room that is too hot or clothes that make you too hot will stop you from getting a good night's sleep. You must take steps to be comfortable all night. For example, by wearing intimates sleepwear, you will be comfortable and the act of changing helps build the habit of a good sleep routine.

3) How eating affects sleep

Eating "heavy" right before bedtime also affects your rest. You should eat eggs, chicken, or turkey before bedtime since they contain protein, which helps keep cortisol levels low throughout the night (the stress hormone).

4) How your phone or computer affects sleep

We all know that looking at our phones or computers late at night is a horrible habit, but it's also very unhealthy. The light emitted from these devices ruins your ability to fall asleep after being in front of them for long periods. Turn them off 30 minutes before bedtime so that you can have a good night's rest. Alternatively, if you really have to check the likes on your last post, use the blue light filter to help overcome the screen's negative effects on your sleep routine.

Now you removing the bad habits from your routine, what else can be done to encourage a good night's sleep?

1. Have a set bedtime

Certain habits will be hard to break, so if you find yourself getting in bed at 11:00 every night even though your bedtime is 10:00, try a little trick. Set an alarm for 11:00 to remind yourself when a reasonable bedtime is.

2. Avoid watching television one hour before you go to sleep

Watching TV or playing video games too close to your sleep time can cause you to become more awake than when watching them earlier in the evening. If this is true for you, try switching it up, so the screen is off by 9:30 pm. You could spend the extra time reading a book or chatting with your partner.

By paying attention to the habits that are creating a bad sleep routine, you can change them and improve your health. You might not feel like you need better sleep today, but if you continue to abuse your sleep cycle, it will affect your life in the long run. These are just a few things that can help you get better quality of sleep so that you can start a new day feeling refreshed and more energetic than before.