Major Reasons Why You're Not Sleeping Through the Night

Do you feel as though sometimes, it doesn’t matter how much sleep you get, because it’s never enough? If so then you may be having some sleep difficulties. If you want to do something about this, then take a look below.


Your Age

One reason why you might not be sleeping as well as you could be is your age. Interrupted sleep is very common in older adults. You may find that you end up waking very early in the morning and that a lot of the time, your circadian rhythm is to blame. You may also find that you end up going to bed way earlier too. If you want to work around this then you need to focus on getting a solid nighttime routine, so you can wind down properly.

Screenshot267

Source

Your Lifestyle

Another reason why you might not be sleeping very well is your lifestyle. Drinking alcohol within four hours of your bedtime is a major mistake. A nightcap might help you to get to sleep but at the same time, it could be the reason why you are waking early. It can also result in you taking way more trips to the bathroom. Another major error is if you eat within a few hours of your bedtime. If you make this mistake then you may end up lying down with a full stomach, which can lead to heartburn. Long naps in the afternoon can also lead to disturbed nighttime sleep.


Medication

Some medications can cause you to wake up early too. Antidepressants, beta blockers that can be used to treat high blood pressure and even cold remedies can influence how you feel. If possible, you need to try and ask your doctor to see if your medication is the culprit, or if there is a different time of day you can take it. If so, you can then take steps to try and help yourself.



Underlying Conditions

A lot of health issues can throw a real wrench in your routine. Anxiety, depression and even chronic pain can affect you as you age. One way for you to work around this would be for you to get them treated as soon as you can. It may be that you seek out a TMJ specialist or that you seek treatment for neuropathy. Either way, it doesn’t matter what health issues you have because if you leave them untreated then this can lead to a whole range of issues when in reality, this could all be avoided. 

Of course, not sleeping at night can have a knock-on effect on your whole life. If you want to help yourself then it is so important that you talk with your doctor. You might also want to assess any environmental factors that could be causing you to lose out on sleep too. By doing this, you can then make sure that you are always treating the issue, rather than trying to mask it by taking sleep medication or just sleeping in to make up for lost hours.