4 Things You're Losing Sleep Over, and How to Break the Cycle
It’s bedtime, your head hits the pillow and while you’re on your way to dreamland your brain starts making grocery lists. Anyone? We know that sleep is essential to our wellbeing, but it often seems impossible to achieve. If you feel this way too, you are NOT alone.
According to the CDC, more than one third of Americans aren't getting enough sleep. Whether stress, diet and exercise, an underlying condition, or unhealthy sleep habits, there are many reasons you aren’t achieving the sleep you want (and need). In this article, we break down why you aren’t sleeping as well as you could and then we highlight ways to reset so you can spend more time in dreamland.
Why You’re Losing Sleep
Sacrificing that sweet 7-9 hour sleep might leave you feeling groggy, grumpy or tired the next day, but it also has more serious threats to your health. Sleep deprivation, also known as sleeplessness, drains your mental abilities and puts strain on physical health. Four common causes of sleeplessness can be found below.
Stress
Stress is something we’re all too familiar with these days. From work to family to health, stressors are a constant attacker on all of us. The American Psychology Association found that there is a sleep-stress cycle that represents how stress interferes with Sleep. Many Americans reported that their stress increases when the length and quality of their sleep decreases, and at the same time life's stressors can cause difficulty sleeping - what are we left with? A vicious cycle. But, don’t stress! We’ll talk below about some potential solutions to your sleep hygiene - including CBD - that can help break the cycle.
Diet and Exercise
What you are putting into your body can affect your sleep! Large meals, alcohol or caffeine too close to bed time could be disrupting your sleep. Though exercise during the day can help induce better sleep, working out right before bed can disrupt your sleep cycle. Who wants to do jumping jacks before bed anyway? We’ll talk below about how you can build a pre-sleep routine to properly let your body wind down to a sleep-ready state.
Underlying Conditions
Many chronic health problems can throw a wrench into nightly sound sleep. Anxiety, chronic pain, neuropathy or sleep apnea, are a few health problems that can affect your sleep schedule.
Poor Sleep Habits
Sometimes sleep deprivation stems from ingrained behavior or habits that you follow surrounding your sleep schedule. Examples of poor sleep habits include staying up to late (bedtimes are not just for children!) or engaging in late night screen time. Back away from the phone, instagram will still be there in the morning.
How to Get Back on Track
Sleep Hygiene (healthy sleep habits) can lead you to the sweet ZZZs you are seeking. Following a consistent sleep schedule that includes high quality sleep for the right amount of hours, encourages the body and mind to become familiar with a routine.
Resetting your sleep schedule is a great way to get back on track and optimize your sleep! A few tips and tricks for achieving better sleep are below.
Consistent Sleep Schedule
The first step to resetting your sleep routine is to make consistency a priority. Pick both a bedtime and wake up time that you can stick to. Follow this schedule all the time (even on Margarita Night). This way, your body's internal clock will get accustomed to a new bedtime and stick with it.
Make Gradual Adjustments
You may find it difficult to adjust to an entire new schedule, and that’s completely normal. A new routine takes time to get used to, so remember to be patient with yourself. The most effective tactic is to make small, gradual changes. If you are trying to go to bed two hours earlier, start with 15 minute increments to ease your body into the change.
Light vs Dark
Keep your surroundings dim at night. Avoid computers, tablets, cell phones, and TV an hour (or more) before bed. Limiting your eyes' exposure to blue light before bed will help you fall asleep faster. Did you know the iPhone has a sleep timer setting? You can set a bed time and at that time your phone will dim its settings and put itself into do not disturb mode so you can quiet distractions. Just like the darkness helps us fall asleep, light helps us wake up! Your body's internal clock is very sensitive to light so waking up with the sun could help your sleep routine. Daylight is a vital influence on your circadian rhythm.
Reconsider your Nap
Don’t worry, we aren’t telling you to give up naps forever! While naps can be restorative in some cases, they can also lead to a disruption in your sleep routine. As a general rule, keep naps under 30 minutes. Nap earlier in the day so it won’t disrupt your ability to fall asleep at night.
Set the Mood
Cue the relaxation playlist! Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature. Create a comfortable pre-sleep routine to wind down from the day and get your body into a calm state. We love taking a bath with our new Chamomile Lavender Soaking Salts to feel relaxed and ready for a restful sleep. We also keep our Miracle Manuka Honey Multi Use Cream on our nightstand to calm the skin as we ease into our spa-like snooze.
Consider CBD
Maybe you need an extra boost to help with your sleep cycle. CBD, in-combination with the right ingredients (such as Melatonin, Gaba, or Magnesium), can help to calm many of the root causes of sleep deprivation and lead you closer to a good night's rest.
Vena's Restful Night Capsules are a wonderful isolate option that blends CBD with Melatonin and Magnesium to support a healthy sleep cycle whereas our Full Spectrum Restful Night Bites combine Full Spectrum and Melatonin in the form of a delicious gummy to offer a deeper sleep. If you are still having sleep issues, consider talking to your doctor about other ways to promote a healthy sleep cycle!
Still losing sleep over something? Let’s chat! Leave a question or comment below, or reach out to us directly at support@venacbd.com to continue the conversation. Happy Snoozing!
