Sleep Saboteur #6: Bad Air
Love those pretty red sunsets in your town? Many times they’re caused by air pollution, which may be seeping into your home and keeping you awake long after the sun dips below the horizon.
According to a Harvard study, poor air quality can increase your risk of disordered sleep breathing—repeated lapses in respiration during the night.
“Air pollution increases inflammation. This may make your throat more likely to close and your oxygen levels to fall during sleep,” says study author Susan Redline, M.D., M.P.H. The condition affects up to 17 percent of adults.
HEPA filters can help, but only if you choose the right one. Standard HEPA filters offer a “minimum efficiency reporting value” (MERV) of 1 to 4. But you should upgrade to a higher-efficiency MERV 13 filter that also traps tinier particles (which can travel deeper into your lungs), says Bill Weinberg, the former president of AMHAC, a heating and air-conditioning company in Eastchester, New York.
If you have allergies or asthma, consider a GAPA filter, a more powerful filter that uses electrostatic energy to attract fine particles, he says.
Sleep Saboteur #7: You Pop B Vitamins at Night
Think of B vitamins as energizers: They help form red blood cells and assist in the process of making energy from the food you eat. When the vitamins are doing their job correctly, they also regulate your sleep schedule.
If you take them at night, though, they can keep you up. Leafy green vegetables, beans, fish, and poultry are usually packed with B. But if you’re taking a supplement, make sure to pop it in the A.M.
Sleep Saboteur #8: She Comes, You Don’t
Sleep Saboteur #8: She Comes, You Don’t
Sometimes sex sets you up perfectly for a good night’s sleep. After you do the deed, your body is relieved of stress, and your brain surges with oxytocin and serotonin, which have powerful sleep-inducing effects.
But Men’s Health sleep advisor W. Christopher Winter, M.D. says that recently, some of his patients have complained about one partner climaxing and then conking out before returning the favor. That could keep the other partner up.
Why? If you don’t quite get there, your blood is still flowing, there’s a buildup of pressure, and your brain is saying, ‘sex’—not ‘sleep’.
Sleep Saboteur #9: You Share a Bed with Your Cat
A study from the Mayo Clinic recently found that 10 percent of patients reported their pets disturbing their sleep at night. Common annoyances included snoring, whimpering, wandering around the house, and begging to go outside.
But Dr. Breus says that more than any other animal, cats seem to be the most disruptive.
“Dogs usually sleep through the night. Cats like to move around more and are much more nocturnal,” he says.
Since you have to worry about more than just small paws walking on your face, keep your critter outside the bedroom to protect your shuteye.
Sleep Saboteur #10: Smartphone Addiction
E-mailing and checking sports scores are all stimulating activities that prevent you from winding down, Dr. Winter says.
The worst part? The Pavlovian response to a “new message” sound. “If you hear the tone, it’s irresistible,” he says.
Even a quick check wakes your brain and your body. “It’s a light box that you’re shining into your eyes at 11 p.m.,” Dr. Winter says. “Your body is seeing a strong trigger that it’s daytime.”
Break your addiction by using a passcode on your phone and changing it once a week, suggests William Pollack, Ph.D., an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard medical school.
This forces you to pause before accessing the phone, breaking a behavior that’s often on autopilot. You’ll mentally register what you’re doing, which helps control the habit.
Check the phone once an hour or so before bed, and then cut yourself off, he says.
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