If you have trouble sleeping at night, perhaps you are making some of these “sleep mistakes.”

We spend around a third of our lives sleeping. However, many people feel like they don’t get the rest they need to not feel tired through the day.

The Guardian asked sleep experts what mistakes people make that prevent them from feeling rested when they wake up. These are the Top 10 “Sleep Mistakes” according to those experts.

1. Not knowing how much sleep you need.
   Seven to nine hours is the general rule, but it varies from person to person. If you are tired and moody, you need more sleep.
2. Eating too much or too little before bed.
   Too much can give you indigestion and heartburn. However, feeling hungry can also keep you up.
3. Too much screen time before bed.
   The blue light from your phone can keep you awake. Additionally, your phone and TV can over stimulate your brain to keep you from falling asleep.
4. Not taking time to wind down.
   Most people need at least 30 to 60 minutes to wind down before trying to sleep.
5. Too much napping.
   Naps are fine. However, limit them to 30 minutes so they don’t keep you up at night.
6. Spending too much time in bed awake.
   The more time you spend in bed not actually sleeping, the more your body gets used to it as a normal thing.
7. Not enough sleep on weeknights.
   You can’t sleep in on weekends to recover from the lost sleep Monday through Friday.
8. Not having a consistent sleep schedule.
   Our bodies have a hard time adjusting if our sleep schedule changes day to day all the time.
9. Too much caffeine and alcohol.
   Caffeine takes eight hours to metabolize, so coffee at 3pm could keep you awake at 10pm. Alcohol can make you FEEL tired, but it causes you to get a worse night’s sleep.
10. Worrying about sleeping.
    Stressing about not sleeping can become a self-fulfilling prophesy. You worry you won’t sleep, so you can’t fall asleep. If you have to, get up to take your mind off it and try again later. Most of all, try to relax and clear your mind.

If you make any of these “sleep mistakes,” try to correct them to sleep better. Sweet dreams!

By: Buck Stevens