Sound sleep is a blessing, most of us might not consider it but it actually is, ask from an insomniac! Many people face difficulty in falling asleep or having a peaceful sleep. Let’s look at the reasons that make sleeping hard!
A Noisy Surrounding
As we fall asleep, a part of brain called thalamus starts blocking the flow of information from our senses to the brain. But it won’t block noises! This makes falling asleep harder in the midst of a noisy environment.
After approximately half an hour of light sleep, we enter into deep sleep. The brain becomes unreceptive of puny sounds and noises, but some things can’t be avoided like your name called out loud!
The Light
Our body has a natural body clock. It is synchronized by the stimulus of light. Melatonin (chemical that triggers sleep) is suppressed during light hours and released during the dark. Sleeping with light all around could make falling asleep hard. Usage of gadgets further causes trouble in falling asleep as it confuses the body and its system.
The Food
Bad eating habits often interfere with proper and healthy sleep. Drinks having high amount of caffeine have an adverse effect on night time sleep. Drinking alcohol at night times makes us fall into deep sleep directly, avoiding the light sleep phase.
Spicy and heavy food at night gives heartburn which is followed by a restless night.
The Wrong Temperature
The body temperature goes down when we drift into sleep. The vessels in the feet, hands and face open up to release the body heat. But if the surroundings are too warm, no heat is lost and we end up feeling hot and restless.
The core temperature should be half a degree less than the normal body temperature. If it goes down further, we end up feeling cold and hence face difficulty in falling asleep.
A Racing Mind
An anxious mind is the enemy of sleep. People often go to bed with a stressed mind but it is on no use as they face problems in falling asleep or can’t find sleep at all.
Some people get up in the middle of the night only to remain awake for long duration as the sleep won’t come easily. Experts recommend engaging in a mental activity like solving a puzzle before trying o fall asleep again.
