Each of us have a night off when we fall sideways and can’t find the right position to sleep. Have you wondered what is the reason for this?

It can be different for everyone, so we will list 10 general causes that affect the quality of sleep with a detailed description of the indirect factors that contribute to insomnia.

1. #An empty stomach

The last meal should be eaten a few hours before bedtime. Not by chance, we often hear that the ideal break between sleeping and eating something is three hours. This is the time when our body has digested the food and does not require another dose of calories. If this interval lasted longer, there would be a good chance that we would feel hunger, which would have a negative impact on the quality of our sleep. We should remember not to suggest the hours in which we eat, but rather the hours in which we fall asleep and get up. It is then that we can perfectly match the distribution of the meals we eat.

2. #The room temperature

It is very important to properly ventilate the room before falling asleep to refresh the air. Fresh air oxygenates our brains, making us feel more relaxed and easier to fall into a calmer mood. The room should have a temperature between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius, which is best suited to our climate.

3. #Too much thought

It’s probably the hardest part about sleeping well. Days when we have a lot of unresolved issues before going to bed will not be conducive to our sleep. A very good way to solve this problem will be to write down all the thoughts that go through our heads on a piece of paper. We will then be sure that we won’t forget anything the next day and that every thought has been safely put on paper.

4. #Caffeine

The first thing we think about when reading this headline is coffee. We’re right. Coffee and other caffeinated drinks make it hard to fall asleep. We can also include CocaCola and all kinds of energy drinks. Few people know that tea, just like coffee, is an energy drink – it has the same tein, a substance that acts in the same way as caffeine. White and black tea have the most teins, so excluding them before bedtime is a good suggestion. You can also replace them with herbal or soothing teas.

5. #Cigarettes

Cigarettes increase blood pressure and heart rate. Generally speaking, they stimulate the body by producing endorphins. This doesn’t affect sleep well because after smoking a cigarette we feel strongly stimulated for the next 20 minutes. After this time the blood pressure drops significantly and the heart rate falls. 8 hours after the last cigarette is smoked, the amount of oxygen in the blood increases and carbon dioxide drops, so non-smokers sleep better and more effectively than smokers. If you’re a smoker and you don’t want to change that – at least try to reduce smoking before bedtime. It will definitely help you sleep.

6. #Training

Physical activity in the life of every person is a very important element. It affects both mental and physical health. It leads to a healthy lifestyle and regulates breathing processes in the body. Unfortunately, we should not always train. Training, similarly to energy substances, increases blood pressure and heart rate, so it is advised not to do it directly before bedtime and during the hours close to sleep.

7. #In irregular sleep

A very important factor influencing sleep is its regularity. Getting up and lying down every day at the same time supports the proper functioning of a person and provides energy for the whole day. This brings balance to our lives because it normalizes the day and helps in time management and day planning. The most effective hours of sleep are between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., so it is very good to fall asleep during such periods.

8. #Stress and negative emotions

Tension and annoyance focuses thoughts around negative situations. Our mind stops thinking rationally and translates all its energy into tormenting itself with failure. Notice that every negative emotion carries with it another, and this is how we enter a whole vortex of unpleasant thoughts. We start to focus on our failures, forgetting about positive situations in the day. This is also reflected in our falling asleep, because we feel a constant stream of thoughts, which does not allow us to relax before falling asleep, resulting in insomnia. In stressful situations, it is similar – we get nervous and think about what is going to happen – which is what makes us feel stressed.

9. #No routine

Habits are activities that we acquire through regularity. A very good way to fall asleep is to create a list of activities that you have to do before you go to bed. These can be a few things that relax us, or those that are important for us to do in the evening. A lot of people are not aware of their habits, which they have had for years. For example, washing your body, brushing your teeth and letting your hair down before going to bed is a habit – if you do it conisitently in your day to day life.

Example: I always make myself a herbal tea before going to bed, then I brush my teeth and remove make-up from my face-and then apply cream. I go to bed and wait until the cream has completely absorbed into my face. I turn off the internet and turn on the alarm clock for 8:00am. These are my sleepy habits.

10. # Using the phone/computer/television before bedtime

We have all day to “sit on the phone” or watch TV. I always wonder: Why do people in the evenings, instead of taking up a good book and not tiring their eyes, watch TV? Be aware of this. Looking at the screen for more than two hours a day causes headaches, neck pains and eye problems. Some of us work on a computer, so 8 hours a day we look at the monitor. This is still nothing. We go home after a day of work and what do we do? We sit in front of the TV because we need to relax. Let’s think about how we tired our eyes are and to what extent it affects our sleep.