Always exhausted? You're not alone. Almost half of Americans don't get enough sleep, or what they get isn't good enough. Whether you struggle to fall asleep or can't seem to stay that way, there's a reason why the sleep you need is so elusive. Such as:
You check your phone before bed.Social media and email can bring stress. That can make you struggle to sleep, says Joseph Chandler, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Birmingham-Southern College.The other issue with phone time before bedtime? Your brain thinks the artificial light from the screen is daylight. So, your body doesn't make as much of something called melatonin. That's a chemical that helps you sleep. If you don't have enough of it, you may get insomnia -- the inability to fall or stay asleep.
You go to bed at different times all week long Hitting the hay at 9:30 on Wednesday and midnight on Saturday can throw off your body's internal clock. That can make it harder for you to fall and stay asleep. It can also make you groggy when you wake up,
You wind down with a few adult beverages. A drink in the evening is fine for most adults (ask your doctor if you're not sure it's a good idea for you). Several, or a true before-bed nightcap, can help you fall asleep but can also keep you from getting the deep, restful sleep we're all after. What's more, alcohol is a diuretic that leads to middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom.
