Bad Bedtime Habits that Deprive You of Beauty Sleep

Rucuss staffSeptember 11, 2011

Many people simply can’t fall asleep because they can never seem to get comfortable at night or they toss and turn a lot through the night. This can be because of different reasons.

Allure has put together a list to help battle the sleepless nights.

Watching TV before bed
You may not feel that active when you’re being a couch potato the hour before bed, but the fake light from your screen tricks your mind into thinking it’s not time to sleep yet. Funnily enough, the only stimulating thing doctors do recommend before bed is sex—though it’s arousing, it ultimately makes most people tired.

Checking the time
Don’t give in! Checking to see how much longer you’ve got until your alarm goes off just amps up anxiety. Keep the clock far enough away from the bed so you can’t see it without making a conscious decision to get up, walk over, and look.

Sleeping in a warm room
A room that’s too warm won’t leave you as rested as you might think. Chill out: Any temperature above 68 degrees doesn’t send your brain the right signal to fall into a deep sleep

Having a cocktail
We may sound like killjoys, but for a really restful night’s sleep, stay away from alcohol, period. That glass or two of wine that helps you drift off could make you toss and turn when the alcohol eventually leaves your bloodstream and you become more alert.

Too-tight pj’s
Slinky pajamas aren’t just sexy; they help you sleep better, too. A recent study found that sleeping in tight, body-shaping garments interferes with circadian rhythms enough to decrease melatonin levels and increase body temperature—the exact opposite of what causes sleep.

Leaving the lights on

The glow from digital clocks, laptops, and blinking BlackBerrys can amount to a fair amount of light—and can be a serious disturbance to melatonin levels (the hormone that helps you fall, and stay, asleep). Need more proof? Before Thomas Edison created the light bulb in 1879, people slept an average of ten hours a night.

Drinking Caffeine

Coffee, tea, and Diet Coke may be your answer to the mid-afternoon slump, but you’d be surprised at how long caffeine stays in your system. Doctors recommend only noncaffeinated beverages for the eight hours before bed.

Smoking

Another of the many reasons to quit: Smoking makes your sleep suck. A recent study found smokers had a higher level of brain activity during sleep than nonsmokers, leaving them less rested come morning. At the very least, have your last cigarette more than four hours before your head hits the pillow.

Sleeping on your stomach or side

You know those cheek indents you get from your pillowcase? Dermatologists say that years of smooshing your face into a piece of fabric like that will cause those lines to stick around—forever. Sleep on your back to prevent the problem.

Going to bed with makeup on

There are many reasons that Sleeping Beauty is a fairy tale, but that Beauty didn’t wake up with a face full of zits after sleeping in her makeup for a hundred years is beyond us. Washing your face before bed rids the skin of a day’s worth of oil buildup and helps prevent clogged pores, which lead to blemishes and blackheads. If you’re seriously lazy, stash some wet cloth wipes in your bedside table so you have no excuse not to come clean.