7 Ways to Prevent Sleep Disorder When You're Stuck at Home

The boundary between personal and professional life has blurred in today's fast-paced world. Often, work carries over onto a person's rest time, making it challenging to achieve a good night's sleep.

The increasing prominence of work-from-home and hybrid setups has exacerbated this problem. In this remote work environment, people spend more time confined in their homes. This mass disruption of routines and increased stress levels have given rise to sleeping disorders, leading to more than 50 million adults having chronic sleep-related issues.

Sleep is a fundamental aspect of a healthy lifestyle, and neglect significantly affects your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Taking the proper measures is crucial to improve your sleep routine and pave the way for restful nights. But before that, how can lack of sleep affect one's well-being?

What Are Sleep Disorders?

Sleep disorders are health conditions affecting sleep quality. They manifest as difficulty falling asleep, oversleeping, or disruptive sleepiness during waking hours. These disorders drastically impact your physical well-being, cognitive function, and mood”in other words, you can become irritable and disoriented, making daily living difficult.

Each sleeping disorder has its distinct impact on your quality of life. Here are some common conditions among adults:

Insomnia

If you're having difficulty falling and staying asleep despite having an opportunity to do so, you may have insomnia. This disorder can be short or long-term and often results from stress, anxiety, and depression. Insomnia causes daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and impaired concentration the following day.

Sleep apnea

People with sleep apnea experience repeated stopping in their breathing during slumber. It usually occurs as obstructive sleep apnea, where the airway tightens and causes breathing interruptions. Snoring and choking during sleep are tell-tale signs of this condition.

Restless leg syndrome (RLS)

RLS is a neurological disorder involving uncomfortable sensations in the legs, with an irresistible urge to move them. It typically worsens during rest and keeps you from falling or staying asleep due to the sore feeling.

Common Causes of Sleep Disorders

The causes of sleep disorders may vary, but the following factors increase your likelihood of contracting one. Understanding these causes and implementing preventive measures reduce the risks.

Stress and anxiety

During and after the pandemic, stress levels dramatically increased among the US population. This surge may primarily be due to subsequent global political and economic crises. Heightened worries about health, job security, finances, and overall uncertainty have disrupted lifestyles, making it difficult for the average person to fall asleep.

Lack of physical activity

Exercise improves sleep. Conversely, a 2017 study shows that physical inactivity leads to poor sleeping patterns and vice versa. As such, a lack of physical activity can be a reason you're having difficulty dozing off.

Overexposure to screens

The circadian rhythm”the body's natural clock”takes cues from sunlight to signal time-bound activities, such as sleepiness and wakefulness. However, prolonged screentime during late hours confuses the body by suppressing melatonin production and preventing drowsiness.

Uncomfortable sleeping environment

Comfort is an essential aspect of sleepiness. So, an unsupportive mattress, improper room temperature, and excessive noise create an inadequate sleep environment. These room conditions make it difficult to doze off.

Unhealthy habits

Consuming nicotine and caffeine before bedtime can disrupt your body's melatonin production and inhibit sleepiness. Other unhealthy habits like irregular sleep schedules, excessive daytime napping, or exercising before bedtime can also disrupt your cycle.

7 Ways to Prevent Sleep Disorders

Beating sleep disorders requires a combination of individualized strategies. The following techniques can help you take proactive steps towards improving your overall well-being with a sound slumber.

1. Establish a sleep routine

A consistent sleep routine involves going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time every day”including weekends. This practice regulates your sleep-wake cycle, allowing you to doze off quickly at healthy times. Familiarizing your body with a specific sleep schedule also helps it become more synchronized, enabling you to enjoy a deeper, more restorative slumber.

Create a healthy sleep routine by getting your age group's recommended sleep hours. Teenagers must turn in for eight to ten hours daily, while adults should take at least seven. Consider setting alarms if you're having trouble sticking to a routine. You can also create a relaxing environment and avoid stimulating activities, bright lights, and screens before bedtime to encourage sleepiness.

2. Create a sleep-friendly environment

As mentioned, a comfortable environment helps you achieve restful slumber. So, prevent and manage sleep disorders effectively by making your bedroom conducive to sleep. You can use blackout curtains or an eye mask to block out external light. These efforts help regulate your body's internal clock to promote better sleep quality.

Noise reduction is another crucial factor in keeping sleep disorders at bay. Excessive noise disrupts slumber and prevents deep, restorative sleep. So, minimize noise disturbance by using fans or earplugs to mask background sounds.

3. Manage stress and anxiety

Anxiety and stress can make dozing off difficult. Roughly 30% of Americans claim to lose sleep due to stressful situations, and ironically so. After all, rest itself is supposed to be an effective way to combat stress. Furthermore, over 50% of people with anxiety are more likely to have daytime drowsiness. These figures emphasize the significance of managing stress and anxiety to enjoy a restful slumber.

Engaging in low-impact exercises is an excellent way to promote relaxation. In turn, you can reduce stress and anxiety before bedtime. You can practice deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or meditation to calm your mind and minimize muscle tension. Sneaking in exercises during the day can also boost your mood. However, avoid strenuous routines at night as it can do the opposite.

If none of these practices show promising results, consider seeking professional help for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). This treatment has shown promising results in more than 70% of insomniac patients. A trained sleep therapist can help you identify thoughts, behaviors, and feelings causing insomnia and resolve your condition.

4. Limit exposure to screens

The pervasive use of smartphones and computers has led to increased sleep disturbances. Blue light from screens interferes with your sleep-wake cycle by mimicking the effects of sunlight, suppressing drowsiness. You may find it harder to fall asleep and maintain a restful slumber.

As such, consider turning off electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime as part of your routine. Replace phone or computer use with meditation, relaxation exercises, or music to prepare your body for sleep. However, you can also dim your screen's brightness or use blue light filters if you need to use devices before bed.

5. Observe healthy sleep hygiene habits

It's no secret that good sleep practices promote better-quality slumber. Establishing a bedtime wind-down routine, such as dimming the lights, listening to soothing music, or practicing relaxation exercises, can help you doze off easier. These practices signal your body that it's time to prepare for bedtime.

Additionally, avoid consuming stimulating substances before bedtime. Take caffeine, for example. Coffee and energy drinks block your adenosine receptors, which promotes your need for sleep. A German study also observed that nicotine consumption causes insomnia symptoms, such as frequent waking and daytime sleepiness. In that case, avoid smoking before bed to retain a healthy sleep cycle.

At the same time, regulate your naps throughout the day. While daytime snoozes are beneficial, excessive or prolonged ones may interfere with nighttime sleep. So, limit them to around 30 minutes and avoid napping close to your regular bedtime.

6. Avoid irregular sleep patterns on weekends

Typically, weekends are when you can sleep or indulge in leisure activities late at night. However, disrupting your regular sleep schedule can significantly impact your weekday routines. You may find it harder to doze off quickly when needed, signaling another sleep disorder's onset.

Your body thrives on regularity, and disturbing its clock by sleeping late or excessively during weekends can lead to social jetlag. This term refers to the misalignment between your circadian rhythm and social and work demands, resulting in jetlag-like symptoms. As such, it's crucial to maintain a consistent sleep routine, even and especially during weekends, holidays, and other downtime.

Maintain consistency in your sleeping schedule throughout the week to avoid this problem. Wake up and sleep at similar times daily to regulate your body's internal clock. If you must sleep in or stay up late, do so occasionally and limit variations to less than an hour from your regular schedule.

7. Seek professional help if needed

If your symptoms persist and significantly impact your daily life, consider seeking professional help from a somnologist. They can accurately diagnose your disorder and identify its causes. They may also recommend polysomnography to monitor your sleep patterns and identify underlying issues.

Sleep disorders are highly individualized. What works for others may not be effective for your case. A somnologist can provide a tailored plan to resolve your condition by considering your needs. They can also recommend appropriate interventions, such as behavioral therapies and medications, addressing your concerns effectively.

Embrace the Power of Healthy Sleep

Sleep disorders have become increasingly prevalent, thanks to the recent and increasingly prominent shift to a remote work setup. Thankfully, adopting the proactive measures above and consciously prioritizing healthy sleep habits helps mitigate sleep disorders' impact on your quality of life.

That said, each person's sleep needs and experiences are unique. You may have to experiment first before finding the best strategies for you. However, if your disorders persist and significantly impact your quality of life, you can always seek professional help from sleep specialists for the appropriate intervention.

In turn, you can beat sleep disorders and unlock the benefits of healthy slumber, even during these challenging times.