10 things you shouldn’t do before going to sleep
Increase bedroom temperature
You can completely heat the bedroom beforehand, but it is better to lower the temperature as soon as you go to bed.
In fact, an overheated bedroom increases the difficulty of falling asleep and reduces the periods of deep sleep 1 .
A temperature of around 16 degrees promotes a better quality of sleep, especially among people who suffer from sleep apnea 2 . It would also make it easier to wake up in the morning 2 .
Too high a temperature can also increase the humidity of the room, which is just as bad for sleep 3 .
Finally, the body would be ready to fall asleep when its internal temperature had reached a certain threshold: an overheated room would therefore tend to slow down this change 4 .
| Sources 1. Kazue Okamoto-Mizuno, Koh Mizuno. Effects of the thermal environment on sleep and circadian rhythm. Journal of Physiological Anthropology. 2012;31:14 2. Valham F, Sahlin C, Stenlund H, Franklin KA. Ambient temperature and obstructive sleep apnea: effects on sleep, sleep apnea, and morning alterness. Sleep. 2012;35(4):513-7 3. Kazue Okamoto-Mizuno, Koh Mizuno, Saeko Michie, Akiko Maeda, Sachiko Iizuka. Effects of humid heat exposure on human sleep stages and body temperature. Sleep.Volume 22, issue 06. 4. Murphy PJ, Campbell SS. Nighttime drop in body temperature: a physiological trigger for sleep onset ? Sleep. 1997;20(7):505-11 |
Consume energy drinks before bedtime
Caffeine ( coffee , tea, chocolate, energy or carbonated drinks) should be avoided before going to bed. It persists in the body between 3 and 5 hours and thus disrupts sleep cycles.
A study 1 showed that consuming a drink that contains caffeine between 0 and 6 hours before bedtime significantly reduced sleep duration. Indeed, even when consumed 6 hours before bedtime, it would cause you to lose almost an hour of sleep!
Moreover, these stimulants increase the risk of cardiovascular disease 2 , which is further aggravated if you do not get enough sleep 3 .
| Sources 1. C Drake, T Roehrs, J Shambroom, T Roth. Caffeine effects on sleep taken O, 3 or 6 hours before going to bed. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Volume 09, no. 11 2. Cornelis MC, El-Sohemy A. Coffee, caffeine and coronary heart disease. Curr Opin CLin Nutr Metab Care. 2007;10(6):745-51 3. Sabanayagam C, Shankar A. Sleep duration and cardiovascular disease: results from the National health Interview Survey. Sleep. 2010;33(8):1037-42 |