Sleep Proofed

Are you concerned about the quality of your sleep? Well, if you are like a lot of people out there, then you are using a sleep tracker device to measure your sleep each night. These cool gadgets claim to be able to do everything from tell you how long you sleep to what stage of sleep you’re in and for how long to the overall quality of your sleep. And in today’s data driven world, we just cannot get enough of these things.

But guess what? They might not be all that they’re cracked up to be. A sleep scientist (who knew that was a job!) recently did an AMA over on Reddit where he took all sorts of questions on sleep. And someone actually asked him about these sleep wearables and if these sleep gadgets can do what they claim.

Apparently they can only sort of work as advertised. Sure, they can accurately monitor your heart rate while you are sleeping and how much movement you have while asleep. But they just cannot give you any real information on the quality of your sleep. Apparently, the only way to measure that is via EEG while you are sleeping. Sure, you can buy EEG devices to do this, but they certainly are not cheap. You can also get the same thing in a sleep study.

If you are still super concerned about the quality of your sleep and if you’re doing it right, then you should take the below advice from the scientist. It still remains the single best way to know what is going on with your body when it comes to your sleep.

I think that right now, the best way is still to listen to your body and figure out what is the best schedule and duration for yourself. For example, when you are on vacation and have no social responsibilities and no other external influences, what is your body telling you to do and how do you feel? What makes you feel the best most of the day? Although it sounds primitive, it’s still the most accurate way. You can use fitbit or whatever to measure your sleep duration, but if you don’t feel good, it still has no benefit to help you with your sleep.

Have you been experiencing some strange dreams? Do those weird dreams only happen every so often? Have you noticed that when you eat certain foods or meals that you get these odd dreams? Well, that is because what you eat has a direct effect on what you dream. And some foods can give you some pretty crazy dreams. In fact, some sleep disorders are caused foods, or so some expert believe to be true.

Caffeine

I think we all already know that having a cup of coffee before bed can give you a bit of insomnia. If you’ve ever had to drink coffee to stay awake on a road trip, then you probably know how hard it can be to fall asleep after consuming caffeinated soda, tea or coffee close to bedtime. So, if you don’t want to deal with a bout of insomnia when it comes time for you to hit the bed, consider skipping anything with caffeine when you’re a few hours away from sleepy time.

Alcohol

Another universally accepted truth is that alcohol affects your sleep. Sure, plenty of people consume too much booze and end up passed out until morning. But here’s the secret you might not know about alcohol and sleep – even though it makes you feel tired, alcohol actually prevents your body from slipping into deep sleep. That means that you wake up and still feel tired since your body never got a chance to repair itself after that heavy night on the town.

Eating Too Much Before Bed

A little snack before bed isn’t exactly a terrible thing for your sleep. But if you consume a large amount of food before bed, then it will definitely mess with your sleep. So, don’t sit yourself down to a steak and potatoes meal right before hitting the hay. Likewise, don’t have yourself a massive banana split before turning in for the night. Overconsumption before bed taxes the body and the brain, which leads to a restless night of sleep.

Small Snack Before Bed Is OK

Having a little something to eat before bed is not a bad idea. In fact, it is a great idea because studies have proven that the brain works harder while we’re sleeping than while we’re awake. This means that if we go to bed with an empty stomach that we’re not giving our body any fuel to get it through the night.

Of course, as already mentioned, you don’t want to eat too much. Instead, you should opt for something that your body can break down and digest slowly so that you don’t have to consume a lot to get the job done. Consider something like a small peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat toast. Just don’t over-do it on the jam or the peanut butter!

If you follow these tips and are more mindful about what goes in your mouth before bedtime, then you can ensure that you have a good night’s sleep and don’t experience any crazy dreams.