Cleveland Clinic: Behavioral sleep medicine psychologist Alicia Roth, PhD, explains how some habits could be keeping people from getting the sleep that their bodies need.

That afternoon coffee might seem like a great way to get the boost you need. However, it can make things tougher when it’s time to go to sleep. “You’re only sabotaging yourself for that night’s sleep. And if you keep doing this, you can get caught in a vicious cycle of not sleeping well.”

According to Dr. Roth, other things that can come back to haunt you around bedtime are napping during the day, sleeping in on weekends or spending too much time in bed.

“If you have a bad night of sleep, one of your instincts might be to go to bed early the next night. You’re exhausted, and again, sleep deprivation is painful. But spending more time in bed does not buy you more sleep,” Dr. Roth explains.

A trap that people with insomnia often get into is thinking, “I’m going to spend as much time as possible in my bed because that’s going to give me the best chance to sleep.” Dr. Roth says you may end up going to sleep early and falling asleep quickly, but you might not be able to stay asleep — and then you may struggle to get back to sleep.

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