Did you know that certain behaviours leading up to your bedtime impact how well you sleep? It is obviously a no-brainer, but still many continue to indulge in habits that work against restful sleep. Unless you rectify these habits, you will keep counting sheep, tossing and turning in frustration, or repeatedly checking the clock. It is a misconception to believe sleep drifts in the moment you close your eyes; in reality, it is a complex biological process influenced by everything you do in the hours before you sleep.n
To understand which bedtime mistakes you should stop doing, Dr Chirag Tandon, director of internal medicine, ShardaCare-Healthcity, walked us through the common, problematic habits, asserting that the sixty minutes before you head to bed are extremely valuable and what you do during this time determines how well you sleep. “What you do sixty minutes before bed matters. It will make your night either really restorative or merely a period of hours lying down.”
1. Using phone as a ‘sleep aid’
The doctor shared an observation, “The most common thing I hear from patients is: ‘I just scroll for a bit to relax before sleeping.’ “
You may feel sleepy scrolling on your social media feed, but does it work the way you think it does? The doctor shared a reality check, “It is a perfectly natural habit – and one of the most unproductive things you can do to your sleep.”
Dr Tandon then elaborated that when you use a phone or a laptop before bed, you are exposed to blue light, which disturbs melatonin, a hormone telling your brain to fall asleep. Further, using a digital device also makes you more stimulated as you are bingeing a series or watching something. This keeps you in an alert state, delaying sleep.
It is advisable to keep the phone away. The doctor reminded the negative effect, explaining with a creative analogy. He described that using the screen half an hour before bed is ‘like pressing the accelerator just before you have to step on the brakes.’
What should you do instead? He suggested a routine: “Establish a screen time before bed at least forty-five minutes. Substitute that time with something that is truly low-stimulation, a physical book, light stretching, or just sitting quietly “
2. Eating too late or eating wrong things
The second mistake is eating at the wrong time or choosing the wrong kinds of food close to bedtime. The doctor expressed his concern over how in many households dinner is delayed, “In most families, the evening meal is at nine or ten in the evening – and that is without considering a dessert, a cup of chai, or a late-night snack. This timing is critical in terms of sleep medicine.”
What happens to your body then? Dr Tandon described that eating a heavy meal close to your bedtime puts stress on the digestive system when your body is trying to wind down at the end of the day. This stress can cause issues like acid reflux, bloating, and discomfort, which interrupt your sleep. As a result, you may wake up at two or three in the morning without understanding why.
The doctor urged people to stay away from spicy food, fried food, and large portions, as they are major contributors to waking up in the middle of the night.
Alcohol is another big problem. Why is this a problem? The doctor elaborated, “A lot of individuals think that a nightcap will make them sleep. It does make them fall asleep more quickly, but it also has a huge impact on sleep architecture in the second half of the night, decreasing the deep, restorative REM sleep that the body most requires. You can even sleep at night and still wake up hollow.”
To fix this common habit of late-night eating, Dr Tandon recommended a simple routine: “Strive to complete your final substantial meal at least two to three hours before sleep. When you are really hungry near bedtime, a little, light meal, a banana, a handful of nuts, warm milk, is much better than going to bed with a full stomach.”
3. Taking stress to bed with you
The third mistake, according to the doctor, is the most difficult to treat and also the most injurious. It is very natural that when one tries to sleep, a lot of stress, unresolved thoughts, and emotions from the day surface in the quiet mind, but this can be difficult to manage.
What happens to your body when you stress at night? Dr Tandon described, “When the mind is stressed or anxious, the body reacts to it, cortisol levels go up, the heart rate goes up, the muscles are slightly tense. All this does not go with a good sleep. You will fall asleep at length, perhaps, through sheer fatigue, but the sleep you will have will be light, broken, and unrestful.”
Instead of reducing stress abruptly, he recommended ten minutes of slow, deliberate breathing. For journaling, he advised, “Write about what is in your mind or make a list of three things that went well,” as it helps the brain feel that the day has been closed. A warm shower is also advisable as it helps the body cool down, signalling it to fall asleep. Moreover, avoid taking phone calls or engaging in deep overthinking or problem-solving.Now, a common thing that everybody faces, lying wide awake in bed, in that case, the doctor suggested, “When you are lying awake longer than twenty minutes, get up, do something quiet in low light, and come back when you are really sleepy.”
