If you've ever wondered why you toss and turn all night, you may be peeved to find out that the answer isn't straightforward. While practicing good sleep hygiene can help us tackle sleep concerns, we may have to dig a little deeper to find out what's causing restless sleep so that we can finally enjoy a restful sleep.
What Is Restless Sleep?
Restless sleep isn’t a medical term. According to medical associations like the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, it isn’t an identified sleep disorder either. The lack of a concrete definition makes its meaning highly subjective. You may be tossing and turning all night because of anxiety, stress, and overstimulation, but it could also be due to a host of other issues.
While restless sleep is more common in senior adults, it can happen at any age. Since low sleep efficiency is linked to higher mortality, you must familiarize yourself with its symptoms.
Do you experience poor quality sleep, have trouble falling or staying asleep, experience racing thoughts, or experience frequent nighttime awakenings? If so, it may be time to look at some of the root causes of why you may be tossing and turning in bed all night.
Why Am I Tossing and Turning at Night?
While an inconsistent sleep schedule can lead to tossing and turning all night, it's not the only reason for it. Many factors can lead to poor sleep quality. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common culprits.
Poor Sleep Hygiene
Poor sleep hygiene is a common cause of insufficient or poor-quality sleep. Here are some sleep habits that lead to less restless sleep which can keep you tossing and turning all night long.
The solution? Good sleep hygiene. Practicing proper sleep hygiene means having a bedroom environment and sleep habits that are conducive to sleep. It’s about having a consistent sleep schedule, choosing bedroom essentials that help you get that golden, uninterrupted night of sleep, following good sleep habits, and ensuring that your bedroom is free from all distractions.
Stress and Sleep
With one-third of Americans experiencing extreme stress, it’s one of the most important factors that keep us tossing and turning all night long.
All that stress makes it harder for us to fall asleep by keeping our minds awake with racing thoughts — a phenomenon sleep specialists call “ruminative thinking.” This takes the focus away from sleep signals and cues from our bodies and makes us unable to settle in comfortably for sleep.
Diet and Sleep
Nutrients from the food we consume play a vital role in the production of the sleep hormone melatonin as well as other important transmitters that regulate sleep. An imbalance in these nutrients can lead to trouble falling and staying asleep.
Here are some food items that can interfere with your sleep quality:
It’s good practice to ensure that you don’t eat dinner after 7 PM. This will give your body plenty of time to digest food without risking heartburn and acid reflux.
Sleep Disorders
Underlying medical conditions like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome (RLS) can lead to poor sleep quality. Let’s take a closer look at these conditions.
Restless Leg Syndrome
RLS causes sufferers an overwhelming urge to move their legs. Since this need for movement commonly manifests itself when the body is at rest (sitting or lying down), it can lead to frequent tossing and turning during bedtime. This sleep disruption can interfere with daily activities which can affect one’s quality of life.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
During sleep apnea, patients experience an obstruction in breathing. How does this occur? The soft tissues in the throat intermittently relax which leads to blocked airways. As breathing repeatedly stops and starts while sleeping, it limits the amount of oxygen that reaches the lungs. This can result in restless sleep. When you get up to catch your breath, you may find it difficult to ease back into a deep sleep and start tossing and turning instead.
Unfortunately, sleep deprivation isn’t the only side effect of sleep apnea. When left untreated, it can also make a person feel grumpy and groggy the morning after while increasing their risk of stroke, diabetes, and several other diseases.
Circadian Rhythm Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and bad lifestyle habits can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle which in turn can impact your circadian rhythms — the body’s internal clock. A misaligned circadian rhythm can occur if you work night shifts, are pregnant, are on medication, have mental health disorders, are going through menopause, or have jet lag after traveling across at least 2 time zones.
In such instances, you may find yourself having trouble falling asleep, waking up multiple times during the night, getting restless sleep, being unable to ease back into a deep slumber, or feeling alert throughout the day.
Pain and sleep
Nearly 40 million people in the US experience severe levels of pain ranging from brief periods to long episodes. While chronic pain doesn’t necessarily mean poor sleep, the discomfort may cause sleep deprivation. Arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other chronic pain conditions can make it difficult for you to enjoy better sleep by causing you to toss and turn all night long.
Tackle your sleep concerns by trying multiple strategies to mitigate chronic pain before you hit the hay. Stick to holistic approaches if you can but make sure to consult a doctor if you need medication for it.
How Can I Fight Off Sleep Deprivation?
Chronic sleep deprivation can make us toss and turn as we try to get to sleep. If it goes on for extended periods, a lack of proper rest can be catastrophic for our physical and mental health. While everyone has different stressors that may lead to poor sleep quality and restless sleep, practicing good sleep hygiene is one of the best ways to naturally achieve restorative sleep.
Here are some changes you can make in your lifestyle to curb sleep disturbances and sleep soundly.
How Sandland Sleep Can Help You Get a Good Night's Sleep
If you’ve tried every trick in the book with little success, try Stay Asleep supplements from Sandland Sleep. Our products induce quality sleep with all-natural ingredients that promote relaxation, relieve stress, and calm the mind. Just take a pill an hour before bed. Once it's absorbed by your digestive system, you can enjoy 6 to 7 hours of peaceful sleep without worrying about feeling groggy or sleepy the next day.
How do Sandland Sleep’s Stay Asleep supplements work? Stay Asleep contains sleep-promoting ingredients like:
We also offer a 30-day good sleep guarantee. If you feel that your sleep quality didn’t improve even after taking their supplements consistently, Sandland Sleep will issue a hassle-free refund. This means that you can try their supplements without the risk of paying for an ineffective product. Give the supplements a try. We assure you, it’s a decision you’ll be glad you made.
