5 Things that disrupt sleep and what to do instead

We all know how important sleep is for health, productivity and wellbeing. But many of us just aren’t getting enough. Or at least, aren’t getting enough good quality sleep.

It’s estimated that over a third (37%) of UK adults report poor sleep and up to 10% may fit all criteria for clinical insomnia disorder. [1] That’s over 24 million people in the UK who report suboptimal sleep, and over 6 million people suffering from full-blown insomnia. Insomnia is defined by NICE Guidelines as “a persistent difficulty with getting to sleep, maintaining sleep, or quality of sleep, which occurs despite adequate opportunity and circumstances for sleep, and results in impaired daytime functioning.” [2]

For those who feel they may be suffering from persistent insomnia, please speak with your GP, as there may be other underlying health issues that need to be addressed.

However, if you feel that you could be getting more from your sleep, these next suggestions may be of help.

Notice the use of the words “despite adequate opportunity and circumstances for sleep” in the above paragraph. There are going to be times in life where the opportunity for a full night’s sleep just isn’t there. Early parenthood, busy work schedule, travel. But when the opportunity is there – we should be ensuring that we create the right circumstances and the right environment to optimise sleep.

Here are 5 common sleep disruptors, and how you can beat them.

1. Eating too close to bedtime

You’ve probably experienced the full-belly sleepiness after a Sunday roast, or the post-lunch slump in energy levels at work. This is, in part, due to the amino acid tryptophan present in a lot of proteins, which the body turns to melatonin and serotonin to induce sleepiness. This process is increased in the presence of carbohydrates. It’s also due to the shift in the autonomic nervous system to “rest and digest”, reducing alertness and focus.

A perfect recipe for sleep, right?

Actually, whilst eating close to bedtime can reduce the time taken to fall asleep, it often has a negative impact on the quality of sleep, and increases the chances of nocturnal wakening. [3] Eating late at night increases core body temperature due to the thermic affect of food. This can make it more difficult to drift off, as we usually require a slight drop in body temperature to initiate sleep – that’s why experts recommend a cool bedroom (around 16-18oC).

Lying down shortly after a meal is also a recipe for acid reflux, which can disrupt sleep onset.

So, when should you eat? It’s a good idea to have your last meal 2-4 hours before bedtime. If it’s getting close to bed, and you’re feeling a little peckish, grab a couple of almonds or walnuts (source of melatonin) or cashew nuts (source of tryptophan) or drink some tart cherry juice (melatonin). Better yet, try Awesome Sleep an hour or so before bed. It might just satisfy your sweet cravings, and has been designed specifically to help improve your sleep.

2. Alcohol

Just like eating late at night, you might think that a glass of wine before bed will help you unwind and drift off. Studies confirm that alcohol, at all dosages, decreases sleep onset latency (time taken to fall asleep) while blood alcohol levels are elevated, but results in poorer, more fragmented sleep later in the night [4] and shorter overall sleep duration (less than 6 hours). [5] You’ll have experienced this with more nighttime trips to the bathroom after a night out. Additionally, alcohol also disrupts the natural circadian rhythm and sleep architecture which results in less time spent in REM sleep [5] (more on sleep architecture in our next blog).

Due to alcohol's effect as a respiratory relaxant, it also increases the risk of snoring – disturbing your partner’s sleep – and obstructive sleep apnoea, as the muscles around your airways can relax and close, reducing the flow of oxygen to your lungs.

As with all advice around alcohol, it seems like there is no minimal safe dose. Abstaining completely will always be the best health advice. But for sleep, try not to consume alcohol no closer than 3 hours to bedtime, and try to limit it to no more than 1 or 2 drinks.

Instead, find other ways to relax and unwind. Have a hot bath before bed, exercise to relieve stress or enjoy a soothing cup of Awesome Sleep – with evidenced-based ingredients and optimised dosages to promote deep and restorative sleep.

3. Caffeine

Caffeine is probably one of the most used and studied stimulants in the world. And for good reason. There’s tons of data confirming caffeine’s benefits in reducing all-cause mortality risk, cardiovascular risk, reduced risk of certain cancers [6], improved focus and alertness, improved physical performance and time to fatigue. [7]

Most of these studies showed these results with safe dosages of up to 400mg per day - or about 4 cups of coffee. [8]

But that’s only half of the story. Because caffeine, as a psychostimulant, can have devastating effects on your sleep pattern. This often leads to increased demand for caffeine, addiction, insomnia and migraines [9].

Caffeine has a long half-life – which means it stays active in your system for hours. If you still have high levels of caffeine in your system when trying to sleep, it will delay sleep onset, reduce total sleep time, and reduce levels of deep sleep. [10]

So how can you get the benefits of caffeine without the risks to your sleep?

Based on the research, we recommend no caffeine within 8 hours of going to bed [10]. So if you’re aiming to be asleep by 10pm, that last coffee should be no later than 2pm. We also advise trying to avoid relying on caffeine to combat sleepiness. Instead, focus on improving sleep. Caffeine can be used as an effective pre-workout stimulant, but if you’re training later in the day, try to use a caffeine-free pre-workout such as Awesome Boost.

4. Blue light

Down time should not mean doom scrolling. Bright light, and particularly short wavelength, blue light, inhibits the release of melatonin - the hormone responsible for sleepiness. This is the type of light given off by TVs, phones, laptop screens etc. Try to minimise use of these devices in the hours before sleep. You’ll find it much more beneficial to find other, non-stimulating ways to wind down in the evening such as reading in dim light, listening to calming music, deep and meaningful conversations with a loved one.

If you absolutely must use screens late at night, minimise their brightness and consider using filters and dimming overhead lights. Soft orange or red lights work best for minimising sleep disruption. But our tip is to switch off screens at least 1 hour before bed, focus on winding down and relaxing, and leave your phone out of the bedroom.

5. Stress

The relationship between stress and sleep is a complex one that has been studied numerous times in order to understand the mechanisms at work. But all of these studies show unanimously that stressful events have an adverse effect on sleep. [11] This can manifest as frequently waking in the night, inability to fall asleep, reduced REM sleep, daytime sleepiness/fatigue.

But the reason it’s a complex relationship is that the literature has found that not everyone reacts to stress to the same degree. In other words, while stress does disrupt sleep quality as a whole, some individuals react to stress “worse” than others and their sleep is far more disrupted as a result. The term used for this is sleep reactivity. Those with high sleep reactivity have a higher propensity for disturbed sleep than those with low sleep reactivity. [11] Interestingly, if you are able to tolerate caffeine or changes to your sleeping environment without much impact on the quality of your sleep, then you are likely to have a low sleep reactivity in which stress will also tend to also have little effect.

And this is important because, whilst we cannot always control when stressful events occur, we can learn to modify the expression of the stress on our sleep.

Our evidenced-based tips for improving sleep quality during stress are to get outside and spend time in nature [12], exercise [13], practice some form of breathwork or mindfulness-based stress reduction technique [14] or journal before bed to mind dump all of your stressful thoughts. It can sound a bit woo-woo if you’ve never done it before, but it really can be effective!

If you find your stress levels getting in the way of your sleep, try some of the above tips. In addition, ashwagandha, blue passionflower and chamomile – 3 ingredients in our Awesome Sleep – have been shown to reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety, and may help you relax and get a better night’s sleep.