Do you have continuous sleepless nights? Yet, you have everything in order in your room to sleep well. What could be to blame? Poor sleep is linked to various health conditions, moodiness and depression too. Getting enough sleep helps clear the brain of toxins and helps restore energy. Thus, it is good to focus and be intentional on getting quality and adequate sleep. Invest in a top rated memory foam mattress, quality sheets, and watch your lifestyle habits as a start to better sleep. As you read on are some of the reasons you get sleepless nights and how to fight them. 

Food and drink 

If you are prone to insomnia, limit caffeine intake late in the afternoon. Alcohol during bedtime hours will cause a sedative effect but will disrupt sleep afterward. No food is found harmful to sleep, but some create discomfort and interfere with sleep due to gastric reflux causing a sleepless night. Thus, it is best to avoid anything that will trigger such. However, some foods help you sleep. Such as milk as it has tryptophan. Plus, anything else you eat that takes away hunger feelings and is soothing will help you sleep well. 

Your kids 

Did you know parenting is costly to your sleep hygiene? Those with children under the age of 15 sleep less than those with no children. Depending on the age of the children, the rates of sleep will vary. Some people are short sleepers, and others long sleepers. Thus, it depends on an individual, and you should base it on the number of hours you need to sleep to feel you are functioning at your best during the day. Getting rid of your kids is not a practical solution, and helping them with a good sleep routine is a good start. 

Allergies 

Allergies disrupt sleep as they interfere with breathing. As you treat your allergies with medication, consider improving the sleeping environment by using an air purifier. For instance, use nose strips to open airways if you have blocked nasal passages interfering with your sleep. Local allergens, such as pets, feathers, or dust mites, cause increased airway congestion, especially in winter months when you have windows closed. So, to improve sleep quality, use antihistamines or nasal steroid spray. Also, buy a quality mattress cover, pillow protector and avoid feather or down duvet and pillows. 

Your job 

Work too can be a sleep stealer in various ways. For instance, shift work, long commute hours, everyday work expectations, among others, can affect the precious downtime and result in poor sleep. Sleep loss can be exponential if you are dealing with a negative work environment or a stressful job. A toxic work environment leads to despair and frustration and impacts your ability to fall and stay asleep. Thus, if you are going through these challenges, have melatonin hours before bed as it helps promote sleep onset. Consult with a sleep specialist to know when you should take the melatonin, depending on your type of work. Avoid screens an hour to bed, especially computers, as they suppress melatonin for they are close to the face. 

Chronic pain 

Among the top things that affect sleep, chronic pain conditions are common ones. Chronic pain will wake you up at night and still make it hard to fall asleep. Plus, if you have a sleepless night already, the pain becomes more acute the following day. Have pain medication to help with the pain, but remember the narcotic medications, can disrupt sleep as they suppress respiration. Some of these narcotics include methadone, oxycodone, and morphine. Therefore, in such a case, talk with your doctor for a lighter dose medication at night that still gives relief. 

Stress and anxiety

Stress interferes with sleep. Chronic stress is not compatible with quality sleep as it causes hyper-arousal. Similarly, anxiety disrupts sleep and results in sleepless nights. For this reason, deal with tension, stress, and worries effectively during the day. Otherwise, it will compromise your sleep quality, especially if you are already experiencing poor quality sleep. To deal with these, set time at the end of the day to jot down everything in your mind and solutions to help you focus and prepare for sleep.