Why You're Always Tired: Understanding Sleep Disruptors

Did you know that the habits you maintain throughout the day could be sabotaging your sleep quality? Poor sleep can have a profound impact on every aspect of your life, from mood to productivity.

When it comes to enhancing your sleep, understanding the behaviors that actively disrupt it is crucial. As someone who has wrestled with sleep deprivation due to a hectic lifestyle—think full-time entrepreneurship and raising three children—it’s clear to me that the relentless cycle of stress and poor sleep can be broken. I’ve compiled six habits that may be wrecking your sleep and provided practical ways to address them.

1. Eating Too Late

Ever thought a late-night pizza binge while watching your favorite show was harmless? Think again. Consuming heavy, high-fat meals or sugary snacks just before bed can disrupt digestion, lead to blood glucose spikes and crashes, and interfere with melatonin production. For instance, if your bedtime is 10 p.m. and you indulge in food at 9 p.m., you’re essentially signing up for a restless night because your body must maintain metabolic activity rather than transition into repair mode.

Through my experience, I experimented extensively with meal timing, testing everything from an 11 a.m. final salad to a light pasta at 6 p.m. I found that eating my last meal at 11 a.m. gave my body ample time to complete digestion and stabilized my resting heart rate between 46 and 50 bpm—guaranteeing a high-quality night’s sleep. Here’s the takeaway:

• Experiment with your timing: Try finishing dinner two, three, or even four hours before bed and note how different foods—salads, lean proteins, or starches—affect your rest.
• Monitor changes: Use a wearable or a journal to track your resting heart rate, nighttime awakenings, and how refreshed you feel in the morning.

2. Lack of a Wind-Down Routine

Do you often hit the pillow feeling like your brain is still racing? Without a structured wind-down routine, stress hormones and to-do lists can keep you awake. Working—or scrolling—right up until lights-out prevents your parasympathetic nervous system from kicking in.

Instead, set a dedicated 60-minute transition period before bed. Engage in calming, restorative activities such as:

• Reading a physical book (no screens)
• Journaling or listing tomorrow’s top priorities
• Practicing deep-breathing exercises or progressive muscle relaxation
• Meditating with a guided audio track
• Taking a warm bath or gentle stretching

By mentally “checking out” of the day, you reduce cortisol and create a ritual that signals to your body it’s time to rest.

3. Consuming Stimulants Too Late

Imagine enjoying a glorious cup of coffee at 4 p.m. before your 10 p.m. bedtime. In reality, caffeine’s half-life is about six hours, so half of that cup is still in your system by bedtime. For some people, even that trace can leave them tossing and turning. Alcohol, too—while it may help you fall asleep—disrupts REM sleep and can worsen breathing patterns.

To minimize stimulants’ impact:

• Cut out caffeine by early afternoon: Consider switching to decaf tea or herbal infusions in the late afternoon and evening.
• Limit alcohol close to bed: If you choose to drink, finish at least three hours before lying down.
• Track your responses: Note how different stimulants—coffee, tea, energy drinks, or alcohol—affect your sleep latency and quality.

4. Ignoring Evening Light Regulation

Have you ever noticed how the lighting around you affects your mood and alertness? Morning sunlight is fantastic for aligning your circadian rhythm, but artificial blue light in the evening suppresses melatonin production and delays sleep onset.

To optimize light exposure:

• Dim overhead and task lighting to warm tones (between 2700 and 3500 Kelvin) at least two hours before bed.
• Use blue light filters or apps like f.lux on your computers and smartphones.
• Consider wearing blue light–blocking glasses during late work sessions.
• Enforce a “no screens” rule one hour before bed—replace devices with reading in low, warm light.

By gradually reducing light intensity and removing blue wavelengths, you help your internal clock prepare for restorative shut-eye.

5. Inconsistent Bedroom Temperature

Have you ever struggled to sleep because the room was too hot or too cold? Your core body temperature naturally drops at night to initiate sleep, so an environment that’s too warm—or too cold—can cause frequent awakenings and lighter sleep stages.

Here’s how to maintain comfort:

• Aim for a bedroom temperature between 65°F and 68°F (18°C–20°C).
• Open a window or use a fan to improve air circulation.
• Choose breathable bedding—natural fibers like cotton or linen help wick moisture.
• Consider a temperature-regulating mattress pad or a smart bed like Eight Sleep, which automatically adjusts to your ideal sleep temperature.

Ensuring consistent warmth and ventilation supports the body’s thermoregulation throughout the night.

6. Regulating Noise

Nothing disrupts sleep quite like unwanted noise—be it barking dogs, loud neighbors, or traffic. Even subtle interruptions can pull you out of deep sleep and impact next-day mood and focus.

Here’s how to combat noise effectively:

• Communicate with neighbors: A polite request can often resolve disturbances.
• Use a white-noise machine or a specialized app producing white, pink, or brown noise to mask sudden sounds.
• Try high-fidelity earplugs designed for sleep—they filter disruptive noise while allowing important sounds like alarms to come through.
• Evaluate your environment: Aim to keep bedroom noise levels below 30 dB for uninterrupted rest.

By creating a consistent auditory backdrop, you reduce the number of micro-awakenings and stay in deeper sleep stages longer.

“There is literally nothing I do in my life that changes my conscious experience more than sleep.”

Closing Thoughts

Sleep isn’t a luxury—it’s a foundational pillar that influences your mood, energy, and resilience to stress. Start by identifying which of these six disruptors most affects you, then implement one change at a time. Gradual consistency wins over drastic overnight shifts.

Key Actionable Takeaway:
• Commit to a 60-minute nightly wind-down ritual—no screens, calming lighting, and a written brain dump to clear your mind for deeper, more restorative sleep.

What are your biggest sleep challenges? Share your experiences and let’s cultivate better rest together.