Sleep Deprivation: What’s Causing It?

Everybody knows someone who claims they only require four hours of sleep a night to function. But research shows those people are probably kidding themselves. In general, we need at least seven hours of sleep a night to be mentally sharp. Yet a lot of us have trouble getting close to that. A Consumer Reports study found that 68 percent of Americans have problems sleeping at least one night during the week. For 27 percent of respondents, the trouble happens “most nights.” Read on to find out more about possible causes of sleep deprivation.

Your bed itself

Sometimes the problem isn’t mental so much as it is physical. If you’re not comfortable when you’re in bed, then it’s going to be harder for you to rest well. Even if you can fall asleep, you might have weird or unpleasant dreams. Yet knowing when to replace your mattress can also be tricky. Mattress industry guidelines suggest replacing it every eight or 10 years, but high-quality mattresses can also last as long as 15 years.

If you’re waking up in the middle of the night, pay attention to how you feel. If you’re always hot and sweaty, you might need to toss away some of your blankets. It could also mean that your mattress isn’t keeping you cool. In that case, something like a Cool Gel Memory Foam Mattress could be a solution. These memory foam beds are designed to redistribute warmth in a way that keeps you comfortable.

What if your back hurts when you wake up? You need a mattress that’s capable of supporting you. If you can hear the bed springs, that’s another sign that your bed has seen better days, and might need to be replaced. Also look out for lumps or other signs of sagging. Rotating your mattress may help in the short-term if a full replacement isn’t an option right now.

Your love life

In the movies, a couple usually falls asleep immediately after getting intimate. While that’s an easy way for the film to end a scene, there’s also some truth to the idea that having sex can help you sleep better. Sex releases a chemical called oxytocin, and oxytocin can make you feel calm and relaxed.

If you can’t remember the last time you and your partner got busy, then it’s also possible that you can’t remember the last time you really had a great night of sleep. Of course, many people have great sex lives, and still don’t sleep well, but it’s something worth looking at in any case.

It’s difficult to say, “I’m not happy about our sex life.” But it’s also possible that one of you has an underlying medical issue. If you or your partner haven’t been to the doctor lately, now is a great time to go. Start with a general visit to your physician, and then see what they say. They may recommend a visit to sexual health specialists in Millburn, NJ. Either way, seeing a doctor is almost always a good idea if you’re feeling sleep-deprived all the time.

Your phone

By now, many of us know that looking at our smartphone screen messes with our sleep in various ways. We’re in bed to relax and stop thinking, but a phone can put our brains on high alert. And you’re not going to sleep well if you’re on high alert.

While saying that is easy, doing something about it can be much tougher. If you get up to use the bathroom at 3 AM, you’ll naturally be tempted to check your phone before you go back to bed. But a quick phone check can easily turn into an hour of browsing social media and reading random pages on Wikipedia.

The best thing you can do for your sleep is to keep your phone away from the nightstand. If possible, keep it out of the bedroom entirely. If you use your phone to keep track of the time, buy an old-fashioned alarm clock instead.