What's Causing Your Poor Sleep Quality?

Do you feel like you only slept for two hours when you wake up in the morning? Does it take you forever to fall asleep? Though you may think you’re alone in this, you’re not; millions of Americans suffer from sleep deprivation and other sleep conditions. 

You may be doing everything right. You go to bed early, you have a healthy diet, you stay away from your phone before bed. And yet, nothing seems to work. You still wake up every morning feeling fatigued and exhausted. 

So what's causing your poor sleep quality, and how do you improve it? Well, we're going to discuss the causes of poor sleep and also the various remedies available. 

There are a few reasons why you may not be getting a good night’s sleep. The reasons can include:

• Anxiety: when you’re worried and stressed, it can negatively affect your sleep routine. If you’re lying awake at night thinking about your day or what you have to do tomorrow, it disrupts your sleep. To reduce anxiety, try reading a book before bed. It’ll calm you down and get you in the right mode for sleep.
• Late night snacking: who doesn't love a little snack while watching a movie? We're all guilty of late-night snacking. However, eating and drinking too close to bedtime can not only cause heartburn but also awaken you in the middle of the night for a bathroom run. 
• Alcohol: having a drink before bed isn’t the right thing to do if you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep. Though it may give the feeling of sleepiness, it ultimately fragments your sleep and often makes you wake up feeling groggy. 
• Temperature: if you’re too hot or too cold, you’re going to wake up in the middle of the night. Before going to bed, try to find a comfortable temperature on your thermostat so you can sleep like a baby – the ideal temperature for sleep is around 68 degrees fahrenheit. 
• Caffeine: some people enjoy coffee after dinner, but you know that’s not a good idea. Any caffeinated drinks like energy drinks, tea, or coffee will keep you energized all night. Keep your caffeinated drinks for morning time. 
• Exercising: while exercising may be good for your body, it can disrupt your sleep if you exercise too late at night. When you raise your heart rate before bed, it takes the body longer to adjust to going to sleep.
• Sleep routine: if your sleep schedule is all over the place, it’s going to affect the way you sleep. Pick a sleep routine and try to stick to it as best as you can. Going to bed and waking up at different times of the day messes up your body’s natural sleeping rhythm.
• Sleep apnea: this is a sleep condition that is caused by breathing that repeatedly stops and starts. It causes the person to wake up suddenly throughout the night. If you believe you have sleep apnea, see your physician. 
  

How to improve the quality of your sleep

While we showed you the reasons for what’s causing your poor sleep quality, it’s time we gave you the ways on how you can improve your quality of sleep. That’s where light therapy comes in. 

How can light therapy improve sleep?

Light therapy is a non-invasive, non pharmacological treatment that can aid with sleep disorders such as insomnia, circadian rhythm sleep disorders, jet lag, seasonal affective disorder, and depression. But how?

Individuals can use light therapy devices that emit a specific amount of light therapy colors for sleep. The light mimics outdoor light, however, without harmful UV rays. It improves sleep conditions as it helps sync the circadian rhythm. Everyone has a circadian rhythm that dictates when we feel tired, alert, and hungry. Our circadian rhythm follows the 24-cycle of the sun. 

Exposing ourselves to light therapy helps realign the circadian rhythm, syncing it with the sun's cycle. As a result, you feel tired during the evening and more awake in the morning due to the chemicals released in your brain, melatonin, and serotonin—both playing a major role in your sleep-wake cycle. 

If individuals undergo at-home light therapy treatments daily in the morning, they'll notice their internal clock improve and experience a good night's sleep. 

Kaiyan Medical produces FDA-approved and MDA-approved red light therapy devices for clinical or at-home treatments for the best light therapy for sleep. They're non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical, meaning you'll get the treatment you need without side effects. Kaiyan's red light therapy devices are easy to use and help you take charge of your sleep.