6 things you should not do before going to sleep

The 6 things that worsen sleep the most if you do them before bedtime are: using screens, turning on bright lights, forcing yourself to stay awake, watching violent content, exercising intensely, and drinking coffee or other stimulants. Many are part of our routine without us realizing it. We’ll tell you why they affect sleep and what to do instead.

Table of Contents

• Sleeping well

• 6 things you should not do before going to sleep

  • 1. Using electronic devices

  • 2. Bright lights

  • 3. Staying awake

  • 4. Watching violent television content

  • 5. Exercising

  • 6. Consuming stimulating drinks

Sleeping well

Rest is essential for our bodies. Everyone’s lifestyle can determine the quality of their sleep and rest. Certain factors and activities promote a peaceful night’s sleep, such as:

• Exercising or doing some physical activity every day
• Meditation
• Avoiding naps longer than 20 minutes
• Light dinners and foods that promote rest

The same things don’t help everyone fall asleep. As we explained in our article on 7 things to consider to have more energy during the day, it is important to have very well-defined daily routines. And it is important to maintain them even on weekends to ensure proper rest.

However, although these guidelines help you fall asleep and get optimal rest, there are also factors that have the opposite effect.

These are the factors you need to identify and avoid as soon as possible so that the quality of your sleep is not affected.

Try the Original Hybrid mattress for 100 nights

6 things you should not do before going to sleep

Stress is the factor that has the greatest impact on falling asleep, but there are other things we usually do every day that impair the quality of our rest. Some of the things that can most harm our sleep routine include:

1. Using electronic devices

You should avoid using any electronic device (tablet, computer, mobile phone, etc.) for at least one hour before going to sleep. Although it may not seem like it, these devices and screen lighting stimulate your vision and activate your brain. This makes it harder to fall asleep later.

2. Bright lights

When night falls, artificial lights are necessary to see. When you are preparing to go to bed or are already in the bedroom, you should avoid using very bright, intense, or white lights. Intense white light and screen light suppress melatonin production, keeping you in a state of alertness.

Dimming the lights half an hour before going to sleep will help your body understand that it is time to rest

3. Staying awake

Whether due to work, chores, exams, stress, or other reasons, there are times when we are awake or try to stay awake. This makes your body understand that it needs to stay awake and keeps it that way longer than you want, causing insomnia.

Planning your work, study, or task-sharing hours well during the day will help your body rest when night comes. It will also help you organize your day better and make it more productive.

4. Watching violent television content

Scary, violent, or aggressive content, programs, movies, or series can contribute to insomnia. This unconsciously creates a feeling of muscle tension and stress that can make it impossible to fall asleep. It is also true that it does not affect everyone in the same way.

5. Exercising

Exercise itself is not harmful or incompatible with sleep; on the contrary, people who exercise every day usually sleep better. What matters is the time: intense exercise right before bedtime has the opposite effect.

After any physical activity, the body enters a state of activation that gradually subsides and relaxes over time.

If you exercise immediately before going to sleep, you will likely have the opposite effect. It is recommended that you do not exercise within two hours of going to bed.

6. Consuming stimulating drinks

Drinking coffee, energy drinks, or beverages containing caffeine and theine can make it difficult to fall asleep. Their effects last for several hours, so it is best to avoid them in the afternoon and evening.

In addition to the ones mentioned above, the temperature difference in the room can also have an impact. A very cold room can make it difficult to sleep. The same goes for a very hot room.

Therefore, it is recommended to ventilate the room every day, heat the room 30 minutes before going to bed in winter (to take the edge off the cold without making it too hot), and cool the bedroom before going to bed in summer (to reduce the sensation of heat and prevent sweating). And, of course, avoid heavy dinners and large meals before going to sleep.

The most important thing is a good mattress

Avoiding any of the things mentioned above will help you fall asleep. However, that is not the only solution. Other factors and elements also influence a good night’s rest, such as the environment, the decor, and, most importantly, the mattress. A good mattress helps support the body properly, keeps your back comfortable, and helps you sleep better.

Sleeping on an old mattress or one in poor condition can lead to discomfort and poorer-quality rest over time. Mattresses should be replaced every 7 to 10 years to ensure their quality. Proper cleaning and hygiene of the mattress are also essential to ensure its durability. In our post on how to clean your mattress, we’ll tell you how.

Morfeo mattresses

Choosing the best mattress for your rest is not an easy task, but at Morfeo, we manufacture high-performance mattresses in Spain using high-quality materials and the latest sleep technologies. All this to ensure that our customers enjoy sleeping and get a good quality of sleep.

Our most popular mattress, the Original Hybrid, combines more than 2,000 pocketed micro-springs with a layer of memory foam: firm support with comfort, excellent motion isolation if your partner moves around a lot at night, and a removable cover washable at 30°C. If heat is what keeps you awake, the VisCool is the coolest in the range.

Although there are things you should not do before going to bed, sleeping on an Original Hybrid mattress will be the best thing you can do 😉 You can also enjoy our mattress for 100 nights, risk-free. And if you don’t sleep well, we’ll refund you. It’s that easy!

We created Morfeo so you can sleep better. Try it at home