How much sleep do you need? Experts say 8-9 hours of sleep each night is the optimal amount required to rejuvenate your body and brain, so you can wake up feeling rested. But that’s only if you can get quality sleep—and in today’s age, good sleep is increasingly hard to achieve—even if you are lucky enough to get a full 8 hours. (But who is!?) The truth is, the average American only sleeps around 6 hours each night, and up to 40% are chronically sleep deprived. With so many of us struggling to get a good night sleep or to stay asleep throughout the night, we need to uncover WHY we aren’t sleeping, and WHAT we can do about it.

Why do we struggle to sleep?

Restless nights and insomnia spells can impact how you feel not only the next day, but overtime as well. What is causing your sleep disturbance? There are many factors that interfere with your body’s natural sleep cycles and circadian rhythms, and may be what is preventing you from getting the deep, reparative rest you need each night.  

Common sleep disruptors include: 

• Mental stress 
• neurological issues 
• digestive and microbiome imbalances 
• chronic and acute pain 
• hormone imbalances 
• infections 
• chronic inflammation 
• excess sugar consumption 
• alcoholic beverages  
• blue light exposure from screen-based devices 

Sound familiar? If your daily routine or lifestyle contains these common sleep disruption factors, your natural sleep rhythms will be derailed, making it harder for your body to enter a deep, relaxed state needed for nighttime body repair and rest to happen.