Restless When Trying to Sleep and How to Fix It

Nothing is more frustrating than feeling restless when trying to sleep after a long day. Everyone has been there. You resort to tossing and turning throughout the night to make your bed feel comfortable. Every time you doze off, the slightest discomfort jolts you awake. While this may seem like a challenging problem to tackle, there are many things you can do to improve your sleep quality.

What is Restless Sleep?

While there is no definitive definition, people who experience restless sleep describe it as a difficulty in falling and staying asleep. As a result, some wake up feeling tired and irritable. When people lack quality sleep, this can cause the following day to be unpleasant. If not resolved quickly, this can become a critical problem in the long term.

Symptoms to Look for If You Are Restless When Trying to Sleep

Many people who suffer from restless sleep tend to experience similar symptoms. Here are a few common signs to look for if you think you are struggling with sleep problems:

• Frequently moving around in bed
• Irritability throughout the day
• Sleep talking
• Snoring
• Teeth grinding
• Difficulty falling or staying asleep

Ways to Combat It

Once you assess your symptoms, the next step is understanding why you become restless when trying to sleep.

Bedroom Temperature

Most people have strong preferences for the temperature of their bedroom. While some like their space extremely cold, others prefer to pile on blankets for added warmth. However, your bedroom temperature can impact your sleep quality. If it is too hot or cold, it can cause your body to become restless and uncomfortable. As a result, you will move around and wake up throughout the night as your body tries to adjust its temperature.

Luckily, there is a simple solution to this problem. All you need to do is adjust your thermostat to somewhere between 60-65 degrees (the ideal temperature for sleep). Your body will relax easier and not have to work to regulate its internal temperature. As a result, you will fall sleep faster and stay asleep longer.

Lighting in Your Room

In addition to temperature, you need to assess the lighting in your bedroom if you’re restless when trying to sleep. Although some people add light to their bedrooms, others find themselves dealing with light pollution from outside their doors or windows. Even though this may not seem like a critical factor, minor lighting fluctuations can influence the circadian rhythm. This rhythm is basically your body’s internal clock that tells you when to wake and when to sleep.

Avoiding light around bedtime is a great way to improve your sleep quality. Simply unplugging and switching off lights can decrease the unnatural light in the bedroom. Blackout curtains can be an excellent resource for blocking unwanted exposure if you deal with bothersome light outside your window.

Habits That Can Make You Restless When Trying to Sleep

Your pre-bedtime habits can also cause you to have a hard time going to bed at night. Here are common factors that influence sleep quality:

• Exercise – While exercise can be great, doing so right before bed can cause you to become restless when trying to sleep. Give yourself plenty of time to wind down after a workout and before your bedtime to ensure you are calm and your body is ready to relax.

• Caffeine – Caffeine is one of the major factors that influence sleep. Even though it feels like a great later afternoon pick-me-up, drinking caffeine anywhere between 3 to 6 hours before your bedtime can cause you to be fidgety and restless throughout the night. It is significantly more difficult for your body to wind down with a stimulant in your system. Your personal caffeine sensitivity will determine what time to avoid caffeine before bedtime. Determining what works best for you will ensure your body is not overstimulated when trying to rest.

• Sleeping Schedule – It’s not uncommon to have an occasional early or late night and get to bed at a much different time than usual. However, if drastic changes to your sleep schedule become a trend, it can cause you to be restless when trying to sleep. While specific sleep schedules vary from person to person, staying consistent ensures your body is used to a rhythm and prepared to go to bed at the right time.

Your Bed

Lastly, your bed may be the issue if you are restless when trying to sleep. Since our bodies must be in a relaxed state to sleep, we naturally require comfort at this time. However, many older mattresses are made with uncomfortable springs that tend to bend out of shape over time. Purchasing a new spring-less, memory foam mattress is a great way to refresh your body and reintroduce comfort into your nighttime routine.

Shop with Kyvno

At Kyvno, our bed kits are designed to be a stellar solution for restless sleep! The Kyvno kit includes a gel-cooling, memory foam mattress that contours to your body to give you personalized support for your unique body and sleeping style. Also included is the highly reviewed, fully adjustable bed base, which allows you to customize your sleeping and lounging positions to your specific needs. With kits in three sizes, including a Split King, there is a bed perfect for everyone! If you are ready to make the switch to better sleep, shop our beds today.

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