Do I Have Bad Sleeping Habits?

Do you go to bed at the same time every night?

Do you feel tired throughout the day?

Do you get up at night often?

Do you know that science and research link irregular sleeping habits to poor health?

Have you heard of a circadian rhythm?

Do you want to take a nap every afternoon?

Going to bed at more or less the same time is essential to give a sense of routine to your body. Ideally, you should go to sleep by 9.30 pm, so you can get up early and be productive. Going to sleep at any time is sure to kickstart irregular sleep because your body doesn't know what to expect.

There can be many reasons to feel tired throughout the day and you may feel this even with good night sleep. But in general, problems in sleep can make you feel groggy and tired in the mornings. Before you decide whether the tiredness is due to irregular sleep patterns, check with your healthcare provider and it could help to get into a sleep routine.

Getting up often at night can disturb sleep and impact your health. Identify why you get up often at night. If it is for bathroom breaks, avoid liquids after about 6 pm. Also, avoid heavy foods just before you go to sleep. These simple changes can give you better sleep at night.

A study by Cleveland Clinic studied the patterns of 2003 adults between the ages of 45 to 84. They monitored with wrist monitors for an average of six years and the study concluded that irregular sleep and wakeup times increased the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It also increased the chances of complications from multiple conditions.

A circadian rhythm is a set of internal processes that are in tune with the sleep and wake up cycles. They control the physical, mental, and behavioral patterns and processes in the body. You can imagine this to be an internal clock that runs in your body and is based on an organism's exposure to light and darkness. Over many centuries, the human body has evolved to sleep when the sun sets and rises when the sun is up and this is genetically your circadian rhythm. All this means going to bed early and getting up early are the best habits for good sleep and health.

Great! Just ensure you don't push yourself though. If you feel like dozing off on some days, which is by the way normal in most adults, go ahead. There's a problem only if you feel a compulsive need for sleep in the afternoons.

A compulsive need to have a nap every afternoon could indicate a habit or an underlying condition. If it is the former, it is up to you to continue or not, but if it is the latter, you should have regular sleeping habits at night.