21 Factors That Might Be Disturbing Your Good Night Sleep

There are may types of sleeping disorders like difficulty in falling asleep, disturbed course of sleep. Waking up too early in the morning etc.  While certain health conditions cause sleepless nights, there are many small mistakes that you might be doing unknowingly which might be a big cause for sleeplessness. Let us find out.

Spicy food at night – We have learnt before that it is not a good idea to have sweet and oily food at night.  It is also important to avoid too spicy and oily foods at night.

Curds – According to Ayurveda, curds is also better avoided at night. Read more here – Curd at night? 

Sleeping in the day – For many, who suffer from insomnia, sleeping in the day is discouraged. This helps to get the body tired by evening, which increases the chances of falling asleep naturally.

Bumpy pillow – Sometimes, we ignore those little nodes, knots, and irregular surface or too much smoothness / hardness of our pillows.  But it might cause you difficulty in falling asleep or disturb the sleep by awkward neck postures, pain, dust etc. Also, please do remember to change and wash the pillow cover regularly.

Too rough / too smooth bed – Neither of the two are good for your sleep or for your back. Choose the bed that suits you.

Light or noise – If both are bothering you at night, better to use an eye band and plug your ears.

Ventilation – Fresh air improves the chances of natural sleep. Avoid completely closed, ventilation-less bed rooms.

Aches and pains – According to Ayurveda, massage relaxes your body. I recommend it at least once a week, preferably in an Ayurveda center.

Lack of physical activity – For some, sedentary lifestyle habits, spending most of the day glued to laptop screens or TV, causes sleeplessness. Try some exercise. For some,  gym at evening hours make them tired by night and helps them fall asleep easily.

Sleeping soon after dinner –  After dinner, it is advisable to wait at least for 1 – 2 hours before going to sleep.

If you have to sleep soon after dinner, say, to attend an early scheduled meeting on the next morning, then at least walk for 5 – 10 minutes, then go to bed.

Late night horror shows / internet browsing – They obviously take away your peace of mind and cause you difficulty in sleeping at night.

Irregular food and sleep timings – It causes impairment in digestion. It also disturbs the body’s natural rhythm and body clock, leading to sleeping difficulties.

Night shift jobs –  If you are a night shift worker, there are  a few simple guidelines which would help you to maintain the balance.

Excess alcohol or smoking – causes sleeplessness along with other obvious problems.

Relationship problems – Do not start discussing that controversial topic with your spouse, while going to bed. It might cause sleeping disturbance to both of you.

Stress, Depression, Anxiety, Fear –  While there are a lot of techniques to overcome these, my usual and simple advice is to adopt hobbies.

Causes for loss of sleep / insomnia
Evacuation of doshas from body (Purgation)
Irritation caused due to Nasya medication
Repeated vomiting
Fear
Anxiety
Anger
Hatred
Exposure to dust, smoke etc
Physical exercise
Blood letting
Fasting
Uncomfortable bed
Old age
Colic pain
Insecurities of life and situation
Dissatisfaction in life, job, circumstances etc
Constant stress