Your lifestyle is the amalgamation of habits. You form habits simply by repeating the same patterns every day.

These patterns become your norm, so you need to be mindful of them. But in this busy lifestyle, we barely have time to get our chores done.

So we utilize the precious time we should be spending in bed focusing on sleep to do everything our hearts want.

And that's not a good decision because what you want and what you need are not always the same thing.

1. You over-expose yourself to glaring blue lights

Your days are jam-packed from the moment you wake up, it's hard to find a window for relaxation as a tight schedule keeps you tied to your desk or shuffling in and out of meetings.

You'll lose yourself in the work which is amazing if you enjoy your job otherwise it sucks the joy out of your life.

It's like fighting a losing battle that will rob you of your mental health. That's when revenge procrastination comes into play.

You stay up late at night trying to reclaim power over your life by watching shows and surfing the internet.

I used to do this every night when I was doing a job I hated, I wouldn't get off the net till my eyes started to hurt.

This habit led to dark undereye bags that gave me some serious insecurity what's worse it even worsened my eyesight and I had to change my eyeglass prescription.

Blue light exposure before bed can plummet your melatonin levels which will make it harder for you to fall asleep and keep you up till late.

And what's worse staying up late at night and exposing yourself to light can even increase your chances of type 2 diabetes by 67%, which is a lethal chronic disease.

So, if that doesn't scare you into better sleep hygiene nothing will get you to mind your sleep.

Here's what you can do:-

Sleep is a non-negotiable factor for good health as quality sleep is proven to decrease mental health ailments and it cleanses the toxins from the brain.

As a light sleeper, it's tricky for me to sustain good quality sleep for long, as a single disturbance can wreck your sleep cycle.

So, it's best to create an environment that enables good-quality sleep. So, turn off all the lights and keep a cool temperature preferably between 64–71°F.

Ditching viewing content helped me immensely to follow good sleep hygiene, as I would have nothing else to do than read.

2. You Indulge In A Little Harmless Snack

Late-night binge-watch sessions are incomplete without food — sugary and salty snacks that are guaranteed to put you in a food comma.

It's an automatic response that makes you reach for the pack of cookies or tub of ice cream that you have been ignoring forever. Binge-watching leads to binge-eating which can harm your sleep quality.

So, heavy meals and sugary snacks are the norms when it comes to binge-watching as we take more time deciding teh snacks than the content.

It's a vice that's impossible to ignore but its effect would suggest otherwise. Eating carb-loaded, tomato-based heavy meals before bed will kick your acid reflux to the max.

Moreover, heavy meals before sleep can hamper sleep quality as it can cause a rise in blood sugar and will increase your risk of waking up in the middle of the night.

You are more likely to have a restful night of sleep if you have your last meal of the day two hours before your bedtime.

But we give into our cravings and fall prey to the unlimited variants of ready-to-eat snacks that require zero preparation.

This habit interferes with our sleep and kills our health slowly but surely. Late-night binge session leads to poor quality of sleep which is one of the prime reasons why you make terrible food decisions.

It's a vicious cycle that you perpetuate through your poor sleep hygine so mend your sleep habits to have a better and healthier diet.

Here's what you can do:-

There are some days when you're just too hungry to go to bed, starving yourself in that scenario will not help your sleep quality.

Instead, grab a healthy snack from your pantry to have a peaceful sleep. Make sure it's a small nutrient-packed snack.

A complex carb paired with a protein source is your best bet to get sleep faster. This pairing will make a satiating snack that will keep you full during the night and help you fall asleep quickly.

Milk with whole wheat flakes is an ideal post-dinner snack that helps me sleep well during the night, but it's bland.

You can try tastier variations like cottage cheese with fruit or peanut butter with whole wheat crackers.

3. Your Brain Can't Handle High Stimulation At Night

You don't have the time to do things right when you barely have the time to get everything done. You ignore the process and jump to the task without an instruction book and hope to finish it in time.

That's how you do most things, as you have neither the patience nor the time to read the instructions.

The same mindset has been tricked down in our daily routine as well. You eat but without any regard to a healthy diet and you sleep without an ounce of sleep hygiene.

There's no one I envy more than a person who can fall asleep as soon as their head hits the pillow. It's a superpower that I have wanted forever.

My mind goes to dark places in the night as rumination becomes prominent and hard to ignore, it follows every thought so the longer you are up the longer you're haunted by your thoughts.

The more you engage your mind before bed the more trouble you'll have falling asleep. That's why you need a wind-down period to activate your parasympathetic system.

The easiest way to fall asleep quickly is by disengaging the brain through meditation, but it's a difficult habit to cultivate.

So, start with small habits that pave the path to impeccable sleep hygiene that improves your mental health.

Here's what you can do:-

I had an unbreakable pattern of binge-watching every night for at least two hours. The habit that got me out of a binge-watch coma was reading.

It took me away from the brilliant series that always enticed me to watch just one more episode, which led to terrible sleep debt and increased sleep latency.

Reading books in dimmed light helped me fall asleep easily. It was a struggle to give up the series but it was an important step for my mental health.

Another thing that helped me stay away from devices was an after-dinner walk. The main purpose of this walk was to feed the stray dogs in my society.

There's this one big fluffy dog who runs faster than the rest of the pack even with a limb. His playful nature and deep brown eyes make it hard not to sympathize with him, so he gets an extra treat.

Conclusion

Your sleep debt is going to raise the ceiling soon if you don't improve your sleep hygiene.

Late-night binge-watch and binge-eating are the two main culprits behind low focus and productivity.

So, make it a rule to avoid these two habits and you'll be blessed with robust productivity and unbreakable focus. And let's not forget great skin.

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