Habits That Can Cause Insomnia

Insomnia is a sleep disorder that causes a person to have difficulty sleeping. As a result, a person will experience sleep deprivation which has a negative impact on health. There are several habits that can cause insomnia.

People who are sleep deprived do not have optimal physical condition to carry out activities the next day. To prevent this, you should avoid some of the following habits that can cause insomnia.

Here are some habits that can cause a person to experience insomnia:

1. Using gadgets before going to bed

The demands of work may require you to use your laptop or cell phone before bed. However, it turns out that using electronic devices before bed can have a negative impact on the quality of your sleep. This is because exposure to blue light (blue light) that appears from electronic device screens can make it difficult for you to sleep. Blue light can inhibit the body’s production of the hormone melatonin. This hormone is known as the sleep hormone. Without the hormone melatonin, you will stay awake, making it difficult to sleep.

2. Excessive naps

Even though the duration is short, napping can cause insomnia. Napping can also help a person to experience quality sleep at night. However, naps also make it difficult for some other people to sleep at night. Therefore, the recommended nap time is only 20 to 30 minutes. If more than that, can trigger insomnia or headaches.

3. Eat before bed

If you are not very hungry, it is best not to eat any food before going to bed, as it can make it difficult to sleep. If you feel hungry, but still want to sleep well, it’s best to eat light food.

In addition, it is important to avoid spicy food before going to bed, as it can cause insomnia due to its stomach-ache effect.

4. Consumption of caffeine and alcohol

Consumption of caffeine and alcohol is also a habit that can cause insomnia. A survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation in 2005 showed that someone who consumed four or more cups of caffeinated drinks a day was more at risk of experiencing insomnia than those who did not drink or drank just one cup per day.

Meanwhile, alcohol can make you fall asleep earlier. After drinking alcohol, you may wake up again during the night and then have a hard time getting back to sleep.

5. Watching the clock

The habit of paying attention to the clock can make it difficult for you to sleep. When you look at the clock, you think about how many hours you have left to wake up the next morning. This triggers the production of cortisol and adrenaline, so you will be awake and it will be increasingly difficult to sleep.

6. Physically inactive during the day

Not physically active during the day, can make you bored. Also, if you don’t do activities you enjoy, you may fall asleep. Lack of activity during the day can make you take longer naps. As a result, you will find it difficult to sleep at night.

This one cause most often occurs in the elderly, because in old age, the physical activity of the elderly decreases. However, it is possible for young people to occur, especially if you are on a long holiday.