COVIDĭifficulty sleeping is a common symptom of COVID. You may also consider wearing blue-light blocking glasses at night. Winter recommends ceasing the use of any devices 2 hours before bed. Put down the smartphone! The blue light emitted from phones, tablets, laptops, and TV screens suppresses evening melatonin production and decreases sleepiness. Winter recommends cutting off caffeine consumption 4–6 hours before you go to bed. It may be no surprise, then, that research suggests that even 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine - about 16 ounces of brewed coffee - 16 hours before bed may impact your sleep.ĭowning 400 mg of caffeine 6 hours or less before bedtime can significantly reduce sleep quality. On average, caffeine has a half-life of 5 hours. Maybe it’s time to reconsider that afternoon latte or energy drink. Inflammation, changes in brain chemicals, genetic factors, and more may all affect the sleep-depression relationship. The relationship between sleep issues and depression is complicated. Insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep-disordered breathing, and restless legs syndrome were all reported. DepressionĪccording to a review published in 2019, up to 90% of people diagnosed with depression also complain about their sleep quality. No wonder sleep disturbance is a diagnostic symptom for some anxiety disorders, which are common risk factors for insomnia.Īnxiety also leads to increased arousal and alertness, which can delay sleep even further. AnxietyĪ racing mind isn’t conducive to peacefully nodding off. Winter recommends keeping naps 20–30 minutes long, and napping at the same time every day so your body can anticipate it. Research suggests that long naps and napping later in the afternoon can cause you to take longer to fall asleep at night, sleep poorly, and wake up more during the night. However, the wrong nap strategy can keep you up when you should be getting deeper Zzz’s. In fact, napping has several health benefits. If not that, it could be something else or a combination of things.īelow are some reasons why you might constantly be tired, especially during the day. If you’re tired but can’t sleep once the sun sets, it could be a sign of delayed sleep phase syndrome. to 12 a.m.), making it difficult to wake up in the morning for school or work.ĭSPS affects young people more, with a prevalence between about 7 and 16%. This occurs when you fall asleep 2 or more hours later than what’s considered “normal” (10 p.m. This could be a sign of delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS). However, if you’re tired but can’t sleep, your circadian rhythm may be off. “I don’t care what someone’s schedule is, as long as it feels right for them and is healthy,” Winter says. So, unlike what your parents told you when you were a kid, there’s no reason you “need” to go to bed at a certain time. Our bodies are best primed to fall asleep about 2 hours after melatonin levels start to rise.Įverybody has their own circadian rhythm, Winter explains, which to some extent is genetic. Later in the day, as it grows darker, our bodies produce more melatonin, with levels peaking between 2 and 4 a.m. This hormone helps regulate sleep.ĭuring the day when it’s light outside, melatonin levels remain low. Located in the brain, the SCN controls melatonin production. The body’s master clock is called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This system uses light, dark, and our biological clock to regulate body temperature, metabolism, hormones (including melatonin), and sleep. Christopher Winter, MD, author of “ The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How To Fix It.” The circadian rhythm is like an internal timekeeper for everything our bodies do in a 24-hour period, explains sleep specialist W.
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