Light, Temperature And Noise: Sleep Thieves

There are dream robbers who go beyond the psychological aspect. We know that factors such as stress or anxiety are potentiators of bad night’s rest and, of course, insomnia. Certain diseases also affect good sleep hygiene. However, there are a number of factors that we overlook that are taking their toll on us without our realizing it.

Something that certainly stands out is that we have become a society that sleeps very badly. We not only wake up in the morning with the clear feeling of not having rested at all. Furthermore, we have completely neglected that crucial part of our life. The current lifestyle habits do not harmonize too much with this physiological need essential for our health.

According to the Spanish Society of Neurology, about 48% of the adult population suffers from occasional insomnia. And when this happens , we go to the pharmacy in search of those drugs or melatonin supplements that we can buy without a prescription. In other words, our first impulse is to use these resources.

Not everyone thinks that you may need to change something in your daily routine. Sometimes, it would be enough to improve the diet; others, with taking care of routines and schedules a little. At other times, the night rest would take a 180º turn if we took care of three very specific factors.

We analyze them below.

Sleep thieves you must attend to

When insomnia knocks on our door, life changes us. One goes to his bed wishing that at least for that night, Morpheus would hug him for 8 hours straight. Although the truth is that we would settle for 4 and without any interruption. However, the brain is that stubborn, it is enough to say “go to sleep” for him to say “I’m sorry, but no” and start to make a whole journey through our existence.

The first thing we should do if this situation lasts for days is to go to the doctor. There are many types of insomnia and some of them have a physiological origin, such as hormonal problems, infections or even the side effect of some medication. It is necessary to discard them to reveal the origin of the problem.

On the other hand, there are also psychological factors, such as anxiety, stress and those problems in life that become more worrisome at night. In the event that at the present time we are not experiencing any of these alterations, we are left with environmental factors. They are elements that we neglect and that, in reality, act as real dream stealers.

Be careful with the light, because it will “kill” your night’s rest

Many people sleep with the blinds up or the curtains drawn. We live in a world where complete darkness no longer exists unless we live in a secluded corner. The light pollution is immense and it is common that, through the window, the light of the neighbor’s house, the light from the streetlights or even the night traffic seeps.

Likewise, the light of dawn will also act as an early disruptor of our rest. Ideally, our room is completely dark to facilitate continued rest. On the other hand, there is another much more decisive element: artificial light.

Thus, a study carried out by Dr. Lena Tähkäm from the University of Oslo reveals the serious impact that blue light from electronic devices has on circadian rhythms.

Whenever possible, we should turn off all electronic technology two hours before going to sleep. Above all, let’s avoid checking your mobile while in bed.

Temperature, one of the most forgotten sleep thieves

Let’s remember a figure: 21 degrees, because that is the ideal temperature to achieve a good night’s sleep. Being in a colder or warmer environment means waking up at some point. In these latter conditions, the metabolism is forced to generate an effort to rebalance the temperature and this ends up causing stress to our brain.

So the ideal is to achieve that perfect balance in our room with a suitable temperature.

Ambient noises and sounds, the eternal enemies in the night rest

Two of the most shocking and difficult sleep robbers to control are undoubtedly noise and ambient sounds. Factors such as traffic, our neighbors, the sound of the streets and that eternal noise of our cities are acting as a stressor.

We cannot neglect that these situations are described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the most common risks to physical and psychological health. An example: studies such as those carried out at the University of Tel Aviv, in Israel, warn us that the effects of nighttime ambient noises maintained over time can produce metabolic alterations, even increasing the risk of suffering cardiovascular problems.

The strategy for handling these situations is complex. We can use acoustic panels to soundproof, classic earplugs or even headphones with white noise. Be that as it may, this continues to be one of the problems with the greatest challenges for our rest and that does not always have a simple or economical solution.

To conclude, sleep thieves have many origins and triggers, and not all are solved with a drug. We must begin to take much more care of that part of our life to which we dedicate half of our existence. Taking care of the environment and its conditions is as important as taking care of the mind and body. Let’s keep it in mind.