The majority of us can admit to not being able to sleep sometimes or waking up countless times during the night. You may have wondered before if your disturbed sleeping patterns have any major significance for your overall health and what your sleeping habits say about you. 

In this post we’ll shine a light at what some poor sleep habits can mean for your health, as well as how you could get better sleep. If any of the sleep problems described below sound similar to you, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor before ruling them out as just a poor sleep routine. 

What Do Your Sleeping Habits Say About You?

Sometimes your habits are just a by-product of your lifestyle, but your sleeping habits can also reveal a lot about your overall health and wellbeing. Sleep is just as important for your health as nutrition and exercise. Lack of sleep leaves you moody and can compromise your immune system, as well as increase the risk of getting ill. 

But the opposite is also true, many mental health issues and other conditions can prevent you from getting enough sleep at night. Poor sleep habits can often be an early communicator for many curable problems that are just lurking beneath the surface. 

Feeling Tired Right After Waking Up

There are a few reasons why you might feel tired even after getting enough hours of sleep. You might’ve gone to bed a bit later than usual. Or feel a bit under the weather. It could be caused by a cold or another factor that affects your overall health. The problem could even be a result of an external factor such as your mattress being uncomfortable, in which case you should invest in a new one. 

However, if you persistently wake up feeling unrested it could also be caused by a deeper sleep problem such as sleep apnea, which is a common problem with breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea interrupts your sleep cycles, making you wake up for just a second hundreds of times during the night. Because you only wake up for a split second your brain might not register it so you can’t even remember you’ve woken up. 

Unable to Fall Asleep Without the TV

Watching the late night news or catching up on your favourite shows while falling asleep, may be just part of your routine. However, experts suggest that many of us also use TV as a distraction from our inner thoughts. A dark and quiet room can bring out your daily worries, so the TV can help deflect this feeling of anxiety. The television’s bright light, however, also increases your stress hormones, causing you to have trouble sleeping. Instead of turning on the telly as you get ready for sleep try other calming techniques such as reading or meditation. 

Kicking During The Night

Needing to stretch before bed, kicking your partner during the night or waking up and pacing around the room, may all be habits linked to a neurological disorder known as restless leg syndrome. It affects a very small percentage of the population and is caused by an abnormality in dopamine levels, the hormone which is responsible for motor control. Luckily for you though, this is a condition that’s easily diagnosed and can be controlled with prescribed medications.  

Waking Up Too Early

An essential part of your circadian rhythm is sleep drive. It increases as the day progresses, until you fall asleep and then disappears during the night. If you keep waking up before the sun is up and can’t fall back to sleep, then it might simply be the cause of a disturbed sleep-wake cycle as a result of having to get up early.

It’s usually no big concern, your body clock just needs to readjust. However, if you consistently get up way too early, it could also be a result of a circadian rhythm disorder known as advanced sleep phase syndrome. Melatonin supplements and natural remedies such as calming teas are effective treatments that can help with a disturbed circadian rhythm. 

Needing The Bathroom Frequently During The Night

It could just be a case of drinking too much water or tea close to bedtime, but waking up more than once or twice to go to the bathroom every night could also be a symptom for deeper issues. Diabetes is one of the conditions often linked with frequent urination during the night. As a result of high blood sugar, your kidneys need to work overtime to filter out the excess sugar, taking on an increased fluid load to do so. 

You can try drinking less liquids before bed, but if the problem continues it’s worth consulting your doctor about it.

Racing Heart and Restlessness

Feeling restless and unable to fall asleep is a very common occurrence for many. You might be feeling anxious about an important meeting the next day or you’re shaken by a horror film you watched in the evening. But, if you’re consistently suffering from insomnia and your heart is beating rapidly, it might be an overactive thyroid that’s keeping you awake. An overproduction of thyroid-hormone, which is responsible for your body’s metabolism, can disturb your sleep pattern and also lead to rapid weight loss. 

How to Have a Good Sleep?

There are numerous ways to improve your sleep routine. Those can include going to bed early, practicing relaxation techniques, switching off distracting electronic devices and more. Understanding what your sleep habits say about you and your health is also an important step in getting better sleep.

If you’ve tried different methods, but nothing helps and your sleeping problems continue, the best move is scheduling a doctor’s appointment to find out what the root of the issues is. Sometimes it can be something that’s easily diagnosable and treated, other times it might be a deeper problem. Whatever it is, the sooner you take action the better, because sleep deficiency can affect your immune system and lead to more serious issues.