7 common sleeping habits you need to avoid

We are all guilty of at least a few of the following listed sleeping habits; habits that do more harm than good.

Find out what these are and why you need to stop doing them immediately!

SLEEPING WITH MAKE-UP ON

More than half of the women reading this would know that they are guilty of this habit. We’re either too tired, or too lazy or we’ve had a long day at school or work and just this one pass won’t make a lot of difference. It’s time to stop telling yourself all that and put an end to it right away.

Leaving make-up overnight does more damage than you may think. It clogs pores on the sin, causing you to breakout and have your otherwise beautiful and flawless skin covered with big, red, pus-filled pimples (your worst nightmare). It also causes free-radical damage causing you to have wrinkles and fine lines, giving you an aged-look, the exact opposite of what you desire.

Fix: If you use make-up on a daily basis, what you can do is buy make-up removing wipes. They’re available easy at any drugstore. Read up on how to use them. They come in handy.

SLEEPING WITH LIGHTS ON

Many of us can’t sleep when it’s completely dark, especially when sleeping alone. According to studies, the amount of light in your room affects the quality of your sleep, making it worse obviously. Additionally, it also causes you to gain an extra few pounds. This is brought about by cortisol-stress hormone, which starts functioning abnormally when you sleep with lights on.

Fix: bunk with someone to get rid of your fear of darkness. What you can also do is ask someone at home to turn off your lights after you are snoozing.

EXERCISING CLOSE TO BEDTIME

No doubt regular exercise is great for weight-management, but make sure you do not workout close to bed-time. When you engage in cardio, it pumps up your body, causing you heart to beat faster, your body temperature to rise, and blood circulation to rush. All of this alerts your body and mind, making it difficult for sleep hormones to release when they ideally should.

Fix: Either workout during the day, or about five hours before hitting the bed. Or simply engaging in yoga stretches if bed-time is close.

SLEEPING WITH TIGHT/FIT CLOTHES

Did you know that sleeping with lesser clothes-on improves the quality of your sleep? Yes, it is true. The tighter your clothing, even undergarments, raise your body temperature. They also affect the release of your sleep hormone-melatonin.

Fix: Try sleeping with light clothes and under a light blanket to sleep better.

SLEEPING AND WAKING UP DIFFERENTLY ON WEEKDAYS AND WEEKEND

We are all guilty of sleeping late on weekdays then oversleeping on the weekends. Experts say our body is prone to conditioning. With this habit, our body’s circadian rhythm is disturbed, disturbing hormone production and brain activity.

Fix: It’s best for your quality of sleep to wake up and sleep at a certain time every day.

SLEEPING WITH PETS

If you’re accustomed to cuddling and sleeping with your furry cat, think again. Sleeping with pets can be harmful for your body. Even something as simple as a cat scratch can transmit a bacterial infection hazardous to other organs in your body.

Fix: To be safe from risk of parasites, infections and what not, avoid sleeping with your pets.

SLEEPING WITH YOUR HAIR TIED TIGHT

Sleeping like that may cause your hair to fall. Sleep with your hair down instead, or make a loose ponytail.