Lifestyle habit

Why do I not feel like I've had enough sleep? Four sleep-friendly habits and reasons why some people don't get enough sleep.

  • Sleeping

2024.03.04

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A surprising number of people say, "I've slept tight, but I don't feel like I slept." If you can't sleep well, exhaustion builds up in your body, making it difficult to wake up in the mornings. To prevent physical and mental health issues, let's create a comfortable sleeping environment.

This time, we'll go over what causes poor sleep, how to get a better night's sleep, the benefits of getting enough sleep, etc. Please have a look at it for reference if you wish to improve the quality of your sleep.

What is the definition of a good sleep?

To begin, what is the definition of a good sleep?

The way to know if you're getting enough sleep is to pay attention to how you feel when you get up in the morning and whether you feel sleepy or tired during the day.
If you sleep well, you will feel refreshed in the morning. This is easy to track because you will wake up at your typical hour without the need for an alarm. On the other hand, if you struggle to get out of bed in the morning or feel dizzy, you are most likely not sleeping correctly.

Furthermore, if you do not feel tired or sleepy during the day, it is reasonable to believe that you get enough sleep. It's fine if you feel a little sleepy after lunch; however, you should exercise caution if your tiredness has an impact on your daily activities since you may not get enough sleep or experience poor sleep quality.

What are the causes of poor sleep quality?

The primary causes of poor sleep are stress, lifestyle disruption, illness, and so on.

When stressed, the mind becomes closed. You are more likely to feel alone and pensive, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Even if you feel sleepy, it will be light sleep, giving you a feeling that you did not sleep well.

Sleep is also greatly impacted by disruptions in lifestyle. Poor sleep quality can be caused by a number of things, such as drinking too much coffee, using a smartphone just before bed, eating right before bed, and taking a bath.

It is also possible that a medical problem is preventing you from getting enough sleep. In addition to health issues, mental health issues could cause problems with your ability to sleep well.

People suffering from allergies, hay fever, or asthma should be particularly careful because these conditions might make it difficult for them to get enough sleep at night.

If you are unable to sleep well, you may be dealing with acute insomnia. One common sign of insomnia is feeling exhausted upon waking up, regardless of how much sleep you've gotten. Please be aware if you are suffering any of the above symptoms.

Note that mental stress can lead to acute insomnia, but that once the stress and other factors are taken care of, the insomnia will get better.

Healthy sleep habits

Getting a good night's sleep is essential for overall health and well-being. Fortunately, making small changes to your daily routine can significantly improve your sleep quality. If you're struggling with falling asleep, staying asleep, or feeling refreshed in the morning, consider incorporating the following four habits into your lifestyle:

Habit1. Don't stress over how many hours you sleep.

When you are unable to sleep as well as you would like, you will undoubtedly feel pressured. Some people put pressure on themselves to fall asleep quickly or wake up early, but this can create a vicious cycle of stress and anxiety that makes it even harder to get the rest they need. This kind of stress is counterproductive and can actually exacerbate sleep problems.

Here's what you should know: "You don't need to stress over how many hours you sleep." Discard the rule that "you must sleep for X hours."

You'll feel under pressure to stay up if you originally set the amount of hours you sleep.

Even if you do fall asleep, waking up earlier than expected will cause you to lose the feeling of having slept well, which can be physically and emotionally exhausting. You can free yourself from needless stress by focusing on a positive mindset and telling yourself, "If I wake up, I will get up and start my day," rather than dwelling on how many hours of sleep you had.

Habit2. Avoid drinking alcohol.

Many people regularly have a nightcap as part of their routine. Although alcohol is a part that makes sleep light, some people believe that it helps them sleep better.
Furthermore, after drinking alcohol, it is metabolized and excreted from the body as urine after 3–4 hours. You might have trouble sleeping at night because you might need to go to a bathroom. So, when you drink alcohol, limit how much you drink or avoid drinking it before bedtime.

Habit3. Review of what you eat.

If you go to bed with a full stomach, your brain will be alert and ready to digest the food in your stomach. This causes light sleep and prevents deep sleep, so try not to eat right before bedtime.

Habit4. Do aerobic exercises.

Moderate exercises can help you to fall asleep more easily due to a nice feeling of exhaustion. It is highly recommended to spend time on aerobic exercises during the day, as they promote deep sleep. Let's move your body until you start to sweat.

Moreover, exercise at night or after a strong workout stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which makes the brain excited and keeps you from becoming sleepy. So, please make sure you exercise carefully.

The benefits of sleeping well

Some may think, ''Is sleep really so important? "I would rather do it if I could avoid having to sleep." However, getting enough sleep can bring the following benefits.

  1. Recover from exhaustion
  2. Remember better
  3. Relieve stress

Benefit1.Recover from exhaustion

When you sleep, your muscles relax, and your organs and cells repair and regenerate. Growth hormones used for fatigue recovery and repair are secreted in large quantities during non-REM sleep, allowing the brain to relax, autonomic nerves to function properly, and metabolic activity in the body to be boosted.
It is expected to improve stress tolerance as well as the ability to recover from stress-related damage.

Benefit2.Remember better

Memory consolidation and organization occur during sleep. We organize our emotions and experience-derived content during non-REM sleep, and during REM sleep, these are preserved in the brain as memories.

It's possible that some people discovered the next day that you understood something that failed to understand the day before or that was too difficult to describe. This occurs as a result of memory only storing and selecting what is absolutely necessary. It's important to get enough sleep since a healthy sleep cycle could benefit improve memory and brain.

Benefit3.Relieve stress

Sleep is a powerful stress reliever. The hippocampus in the brain shrinks when stress results in a high level of cortisol, which causes anxiety and makes it difficult to fall asleep.

But getting enough sleep reduces brain exhaustion. It is believed that this state of relaxation and rest is effective in relieving stress for both the body and the mind.

First, let's check if you're sleeping well.

It's important to check out your quality of sleep. You might be shocked to learn that many people do not get enough sleep, even if they believe they do.
Make small changes to your food, exercise routine, and alcohol consumption to start improving your lifestyle.

Most important, try to break free from the concern that "you must sleep". People are more delicate than they realize, and unknowingly stressing out might make it more difficult to sleep.

First, find out the causes of your sleeplessness and take appropriate action to address them. You will undoubtedly have a good night's sleep once the main problems have been resolved.