Up to 70 million adults in the United States of America have a sleep disorder.

That’s no small number. They’re extremely common and yet, sleep problems can make someone feel incredibly isolated. It’s hard to remember that you aren’t alone when you’re experiencing a problem that affects your life to such an extreme level.

Many people struggle to get to the bottom of their sleep issues. They don’t think they have an underlying illness, they go to bed at the same time every night and yet, sleep doesn’t come easy.

The truth is, there are a million possible reasons you can’t fall asleep. To find the one that applies to you, it’s important to think hard.

These are some of the most common causes of sleep issues — and yet, some of the most unexpected.

1. You Can’t Fall Asleep Because You Use Your Bed for Other Activities

Your brain should associate your bed with sleep, and very few other activities. 

Many people use their bed for a multitude of things despite this widespread advice. It’s common for people to lie in bed while watching TV, using their laptops, or playing on their phones.

Many people check social media right when they wake up and right before they go to sleep.

If you do this, however, your brain will associate your bed with a whole host of activities. Make it a place where you sleep, and sleep alone, and you’ll have an easier time dozing off.

When you lie down, you want your brain to make the connection to sleep. Not Facebook, a Netflix binge, or anything else. 

2. You’re Eating High-Calorie Foods Too Close to Bedtime

If you eat a couple of slices of pizza right before bed, or some other midnight munch that’s high on calories, you’re probably sacrificing a good night’s sleep.

No one wants to go to bed hungry, but pick something that’s low in calories instead.

High-calorie foods mess with the energy levels of your body as well as the temperature, and this can make sleep hard to come by.

High-calorie foods are best consumed earlier in the day when the impending necessity of sleep isn’t an issue. 

3. There’s a Deep Source of Stress in Your Life

The most common cause of sleep issues? Stress.

Stress can do all sorts of things to your body. It can cause your mind to become overactive and can even cause damaging physical problems. 

The link between TMJ and stress is a pretty significant one, and TMJ is one of the physical problems known for causing sleep issues. Often, although the pain will affect you greatly, the noise of teeth-grinding could also have an effect on the person trying to sleep next to you.

It’s important to examine the stressors in your life and try to eliminate them, if possible.

Stress and all that comes with it — including pain, with conditions like TMJ — will wreak havoc with sleep. 

4. Your Hormone Levels Have Changed

Hormone levels can cause many temporary problems — from body temperature changes to sleep.

People are most vulnerable to hormone levels changing during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause.

The loss of estrogen is the main culprit, making those experiencing it unable to sleep — or sometimes unable to stay asleep.

5. You’re Napping Too Much

If you can’t sleep at night, it might be because you’re napping too much during the day.

A nap might not seem like it’s doing much damage — after all, how could an hour in the afternoon affect going to bed at night? Or a mere twenty minutes in the evening?

If you’re going to nap, it shouldn’t be after 3 pm or for longer than 10-20 minutes. Anything else is risking interfering with your sleeping pattern, harmless as it may seem. 

6. The Silence Is Overwhelming

For light sleepers, silence can be the killer of sleep.

Many people don’t expect silence to be the answer to, “Why can’t I sleep?” But the truth is, for the light sleepers, white noise is better than complete silence.

This is because complete silence provides no background to isolated noises. A cat meowing outside probably won’t be heard over white noise but if it’s isolated, it’s sure to wake you up. 

Some people really struggle to fall back asleep after they wake up, so these isolated noises can be detrimental. 

7. You Aren’t Being Active Enough

Some people live a very sedentary lifestyle.

With more people working in office jobs rather than manual labor, and even more working from home lately, sedentary lifestyles are all too common.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, it does require balance. Going outside to exercise and making sure you tire yourself out at least once a day might just do wonders when it comes to falling asleep at night.

Just don’t leave it too late, or it’ll have the opposite effect. 

It’s Important to Get to the Bottom of Your Sleep Problems

There are many possible reasons you can’t fall asleep. From physical problems such as eating too much high-calorie food late at night to emotional ones such as stress, sleep can be fickle. 

It’s important to know exactly what works for you. Some people can’t sleep in silence because the isolated noise will jerk them awake; others are using their bed to browse their phone and watch movies when they should only be using it for sleep.

Examine your lifestyle and you might just realize what issue is making sleep so difficult. 

For other health and lifestyle tips, check out our blog!