These days, getting a good night’s sleep is more challenging than ever. With packed schedules, constant digital distractions, and early morning wakeups by energetic kids, it can feel like everything is working against you.
But bad habits could also be affecting your sleep quality. The upside is that small adjustments can make a big difference. You might find that simple changes like upgrading your bedding or keeping your phone in another room at night are all it takes to get more shut-eye.
Keep reading to see the top 10 habits that could be undermining your sleep—and how to replace them with better sleep habits.
1: Drinking Coffee or Alcohol Before Bed
An after-dinner espresso or glass of wine might feel great in the moment, but caffeine and alcohol are both sleep killers. Caffeine is a stimulant with a half-life of 5 hours, which means even that late morning latte can disrupt your sleep at night if you’re sensitive to caffeine. And while alcohol might help you fall asleep faster, it disrupts REM sleep and increases the risk of nighttime awakenings.
The Fix: Cut off caffeine by early afternoon and save alcohol for early in the evening. Drink a full glass of water for every alcoholic drink to rehydrate.
2: Doomscrolling in the Dark
One minute you’re checking a message on your phone. Next, you’re deep in a rabbit hole of bad news, hot takes, and TikTok drama. Scrolling late at night keeps your brain wired and exposes you to blue light, which disrupts production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you feel sleepy. This can delay bedtime, causing you to miss out on those extra crucial minutes or hours of sleep.
The Fix: Power down your screens—including the TV—at least 30 minutes before bed. Swap your phone for a book or a soothing activity, like knitting. Keep your phone across the room if you need extra help resisting the scroll.
3: Eating Right Before Bed
A late-night snack isn’t harmless. Heavy, spicy, or high-sugar foods can trigger indigestion, heartburn, or spikes in blood sugar, all of which can disrupt your sleep. Eating close to bedtime also signals your body to stay active when it should be winding down, so skip the midnight snack.
The Fix: Give yourself 2-3 hours between your last meal and bedtime. If your stomach is grumbling close to bedtime, opt for a light, sleep-friendly snack like Greek yogurt or a small apple.
4: Skimping on Sleep to Get More Done
When life gets hectic, sleep is often the first thing to go. You stay up late working, cleaning, or just trying to squeeze in some “me time.” But sacrificing sleep just wears you down. Chronic sleep deprivation weakens your immune system, slows your reaction time, and drains your focus, so when you’re tempted to shave off an hour or two, reprioritize.
The Fix: Treat sleep like a non-negotiable appointment. Block off 7 to 9 hours every night and protect that time. You’ll be sharper, calmer, and more productive the next day.
5: Sleeping in Heat-Trapping Bedding
Traditional cotton sheets and bulky blankets might feel cozy, but they trap heat and moisture. As your body temperature rises overnight, you start to toss and turn or worse—wake up sweaty or uncomfortable. Overheating disrupts your sleep cycles and keeps your body from reaching its most restorative stages.
The Fix: Invest in performance bedding that’s engineered to wick away moisture and allow airflow. Look for lightweight, breathable fabrics that help regulate your temperature all night long for deeper, more restorative sleep.
6: Allowing Sensory Overload
Light, temperature, and noise can make it hard to fall and stay asleep. Exposure to artificial light after dark delays melatonin. A room that’s too hot makes it harder for your body to reach the ideal sleep temperature. Even low-level noise like the whir of traffic or buzz of electronics can cause micro-awakenings. You may not remember them, but they can prevent you from reaching deep sleep, the most restorative sleep phase.
The Fix: Dim your lights an hour before bed. If your bedroom is climate-controlled, set your thermostat to around 65°F (the optimal sleep temp), and use blackout curtains, earplugs, or white noise to block out disruptions.
7: Doing Intense Workouts Before Bed
Newer research has found that exercising at night is great for sleep, with one caveat: intense workouts right before bed can be disruptive. High-intensity workouts increase your heart rate, raise your core body temperature, and flood your system with adrenaline. This can make it harder to fall asleep and shorten your deep sleep stages.
The Fix: If you love working out at night, do a light to moderate workout, but not less than 2 hours before bedtime. Opt for gentle yoga, a brisk walk, or stretching.
8: Taking Long Naps During the Day
A quick nap can give you a boost. But napping too long can throw off your internal clock. Long naps push you into deeper sleep stages. This can reduce your sleepiness when it’s actually time to go to bed, making it harder to fall asleep. You might also have trouble staying asleep through the night and experience morning grogginess.
The Fix: Try power naps (15-20 minutes) to take the edge off or recovery naps (20-60 minutes) if you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Don’t make a habit of longer naps, and avoid napping in the evening.
9: Trying to Get By on Too Little Sleep
Running on four or five hours of sleep might feel doable, but it’s not sustainable. Adults need 7 to 9 hours a night to complete full sleep cycles. Those cycles are essential for memory consolidation, cell repair, hormone regulation, and emotional health. Skipping them chips away at your long-term wellness, even if you don’t feel the damage right away.
The Fix: Prioritize a full night’s sleep. Don’t rely on coffee, willpower, or adrenaline to get you through. Quality rest is non-negotiable for your body, brain, and mood.
10: Keeping an Inconsistent Sleep Schedule
Sleeping in on weekends or crashing at random times during the week throws off your internal clock. Your body runs on a circadian rhythm, a natural 24-hour cycle that helps regulate sleep, energy, and hormone production. When your sleep and wake times are all over the place, your body doesn’t know when to power down. This makes it harder to fall asleep, stay asleep, and feel rested the next day.
The Fix: Good sleep hygiene means sticking to a consistent sleep and wake time, even on weekends. Try to keep the difference within an hour.
Get Better Sleep with SHEEX® Bedding
Overheating at night is one of the most common causes of poor sleep. Thankfully, there’s something you can do about it. In addition to keeping your room cool at night, invest in bedding that pulls heat away from your body. SHEEX® cooling bedding is designed to do just that.
Engineered with cutting-edge technology, SHEEX® bedding and performance sleepwear actively wick moisture away from your body to enhance your natural evaporative cooling process. You’ll get the best sleep of your life, guaranteed.
Start building your complete cooling sleep system with SHEEX® cooling sheets, pillows, mattress pads, comforters, and performance sleepwear.
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