Sleep is one of the most important markers of health in human beings. Everyone from Rich Roll to Dr. Andrew Huberman talks about the effects of improper sleep on the body. Thus, it may be valuable to know why you’re unable to sleep through the night and how you can make choices to improve your sleep quality. It may include taking melatonin or getting a blue light filter for iPad.

Even though sleep is extremely important, many of us struggle with getting the proper hours, drastically impacting the quality of our lives. Studies show that insufficient sleep can lead to major issues such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and a decline in cognition.

Once you understand why you may be facing sleep problems, you can address them and work on getting better sleep. For this, it’s important to explore why you may not get the best sleep possible.

This article will talk about everything from why sleep is important for your health to some reasons you may have disrupted sleep through the night.

Why is Sleep Important?

Sleep is the major way in which the body rests. You have to rest your eyes and your body so that you can feel better about yourself and your body can regain some of the energy that it has lost throughout the day. The major reasons that sleep are important for your body to include the following:

Restoration

Your body needs sleep to work on the cells that must be repaired. It needs to repair and restore the muscles which need further fixing. When you’re sleeping, the body also releases growth hormones so that you can grow tissues more effectively and muscles can work much better.

Memory Processing

Do you ever wonder why you get the weirdest dreams sometimes? Well, that’s your brain processing all the events of your day. Studies have also stated that you need the right amount of sleep after you have had much information thrown at you to process your memories.

Better Mental Health

Lack of sleep can make you much more anxious, cranky, and depressed. You want to make sure that you get at least 8 hours of sleep every day so that you feel better about waking up to the reality that you’re in. s

Physical Health

Sleep is a restorative period which is why it’s critical to your physical well-being. Physical health includes how well hormones are regulated in your body and how well you can maintain a healthy weight. Proper sleep puts you into a rhythm where it’s easier to maintain your physical health. It can also reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.

Optimized Performance

Neuroscience also states the importance of sleep when you want to perform your best. If you plan on being the best in your school or work, you must get the most out of your sleep, so you feel optimized when you’re awake.

7 Reasons You May Not Be Sleeping Through the Night

Now that we know how important sleep is we can look at the reasons behind disrupted sleep through the night and what you can do to combat such a pattern in your life.

1. Bathroom Trips

One or two bathroom trips during the night make sense, especially if you drink much water throughout your day. However, suppose you have other problems like incontinence or issues with diabetes, and you find yourself getting up multiple times to relieve yourself. In that case, it makes sense to have your sleep cycle completely disrupted. To avoid bathroom trips, you must book an appointment with a doctor who can help you identify the major reasons you may be urinating so often. You can also try to restrict the amount of water you drink while going to bed.

You may also want to reduce the caffeine and alcohol you’re drinking before bed, as these substances are diuretics and will make your body lose water much more quickly.

2. Sleep Apnea, Asthma, or Other Breathing Problems

You may find it extremely difficult to get a good night’s sleep if you have major respiratory issues. Sleep Apnea makes you feel like you can’t breathe during the night, and asthma can disrupt your breathing and, thus, your sleep cycle. Your body has one purpose: to keep you alive, so when any major breathing problems occur, your body will jolt you awake to course-correct. However, having these breathing problems can cost you much precious sleep, which is why you may want to contact a pulmonologist who can guide you better on how to regulate your breathing through the night.

3. Sleep Temperature

One of the major reasons that people wake up during the night is because they don’t feel comfortable. Sometimes your body or room temperature may be too cold or too warm for you. The idea for good sleep is finding what suits you best and then creating a routine around it. Your body temperature will switch throughout the day, but you must understand what makes you feel the most comfortable.

If you’re too cold while sleeping, you can choose to have a blanket near your bed. However, people are likelier to wake up from sweaty sheets, so you must take measures against too much heat. If you currently reside in a warm area, you may consider investing in air conditioning units. Or you could find more affordable ways to cool your body down. It may include taking a shower before bed or using a fan near your bed to cool yourself from the summer heat.

4. Mental Health Issues such as Anxiety and Depression

At this point, we have all seen the TikToks where people talk about not being able to sleep because of “overthinking,” but often, overthinking is a symptom of a deeper sickness. This sickness could be either anxiety or depression. Mental health and sleep are very closely related, so if you’re struggling with one, you are more likely to struggle with the other. It can be an ongoing loop, but there is a way to disrupt the pattern for your benefit.

If you’re someone who experiences racing thoughts about things that may or may not happen, you may want to try different meditation before bed to gain a little more control of your thoughts. You must be active in dealing with these thoughts as they are a massive marker of your health.

Another way to train your brain to have better and more relaxing thoughts is by going to therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the best ways to create habits around your thoughts so that you can better control them.

There are also other methods of relaxation and relieving stress that many people opt for. However, we recommend that you don’t do anything that involves substance as there is a detriment to the constant use of anything. Devoid yourself from the dependency for a much more healthy sleep cycle.

5. Pain

Many people have chronic pain that makes it much more difficult to rest. There are conditions like arthritis or even endometriosis that can fluctuate sleep cycles. If you have an injury that may also be disrupting your sleep, you must do what you can to address the pain to work on a better sleep schedule.

6. Certain Drugs and Medications

Certain medications may have special problems like frequent urination or dreams, making falling asleep much more difficult. Some of the drugs that may cause you to have weird sleep rhythms include:

1. Cold and Allergy Medication
2. Diuretics
3. Antidepressants

Thus, if you’re taking any of these drugs, you may have to deal with a lack of sleep. You can always ask your doctor about the side effects of the drugs you’re taking and ask them to prescribe something that may alleviate it. Many doctors now recommend melatonin gummies to have a better sleep schedule while you’re fixing your health.

7. Screen Time

As much as we don’t want to admit it, scrolling on your phone before bed may disrupt your sleep cycle. The climate of urgency that are phones have created causes many of us to be extremely paranoid about what tomorrow will hold. Some people will constantly check their emails before going to bed as if waiting for the bad news. This action may set you up for anxiety and racing thoughts when you plan to go to bed.

Furthermore, we also find that the blue light emitted by your phone can disrupt your circadian rhythm and suppresses melatonin so that you no longer feel sleepy. You may want a blue light filter for computer screens or mobile devices. When you have a light that closes to your face while you’re trying to sleep, it may cause your brain to think you’re up, and you start to get much more alert.

Get Better Sleep with Blue Light Blockers

If you want to continue to scroll your phone without harming your sleep, it may be time to install a blue light filter for computer screen or your glasses. At My Blue Protector, there are many products for you to choose from so that you can prevent blue light emissions from all of your devices.

We also design a range of glasses for kids and adults, including anti-blue light glasses for women, so you can sleep better without greatly compromising screen time. If you need more information, contact us today and get a blue light filter for laptops!