5 harmful habits that ruin your sleep

If you find it challenging to fall asleep or experience intermittent and shallow sleep, it may eventually lead to serious health problems. It's evident that insomnia has causes – bad habits that you might not have considered.

The Mirror interviewed Dr. Karak Rajan, a renowned expert in human body research and a popular blogger with millions of subscribers on social media, about this topic. He discussed five factors that disrupt sleep.

According to the doctor, the primary reason for poor sleep is inadequate nutrition. Rajan advises, 'You shouldn't eat anything at least 2 hours before bedtime.' Going to bed with a full stomach is a detrimental habit that leads not only to insomnia but also to serious intestinal disorders.

'It takes 90 minutes for 50 percent of your stomach to empty into the small intestine, so the fuller your stomach is, the higher the likelihood of acid reflux,' he said.

Moreover, drinking excessive water before bed, according to the expert, turns your night into a series of continuous awakenings.

'If you drink a lot of water before going to bed, it can stop the production of the hormone ADH, which keeps excess moisture in the body. Its absence increases the urge to urinate, causing you to run to the toilet all night and not get enough sleep.'

Rajan also believes that an excessively warm bed is a significant factor that hinders proper rest. 'Such conditions,' says the doctor, 'disrupt the natural sleep cycle because they cause increased production of melatonin. In fact, our body needs to cool down, not heat up, to fall asleep faster.'

Additionally, the doctor emphasizes that alcohol and caffeine are the worst enemies of healthy sleep. 'Alcohol disrupts your REM sleep because the brain doesn't function properly, and we stay in the first stage of REM for a prolonged time. Subsequently, we spontaneously wake up several times during the night,' explains Dr. Rajan.

As for coffee, it has the ability to block the neurotransmitter adenosine, a molecule that 'generates' a feeling of fatigue.

'Caffeine doesn't make you more alert,' he clarified, 'it just makes you feel less sleepy.