Insomnia has so many possible causes that it can be hard to pin down exactly what’s keeping you up late at night. Common culprits include anxiety, drinking caffeine late in the day and a poor sleeping environment. 

There are also other causes that are somewhat surprising. For example, eating a spicy dinner could leave your digestive system too aggravated to let you sleep comfortably. Here are five more surprising causes of insomnia, plus tips on how to overcome them. 

1. Sleeping in and Daytime Naps 

An occasional late morning is fine. It can help you overcome sleep debt. But if you make it a habit to sleep in, it throws off your internal circadian clock and makes it harder to sleep at night. 

Try to go to bed and wake up around the same time every day, even during weekends and holidays. You’ll find it a lot easier to fall asleep at night. 

As for daytime naps, they can actually be good for your sleep as we explained in this post. The trick is to keep your nap under 30 minutes and have it before 3pm. Longer naps or napping too late in the day will certainly cause insomnia at night.  

2. High Intensity Exercise

For a long time, we’ve been told that exercising in the evening is a big no-no since it can make it harder to sleep. But recent research has shown that it’s fine to exercise close to bedtime. It’s actually great for sleep. You fall asleep faster and sleep more deeply.   

There is a catch, though. Only mild to moderate exercise is recommended. And even then, it should be done at least an hour before sleep. 

High intensity exercise, on the other hand, can cause insomnia. That’s likely because it raises internal core temperature and makes you more alert, the opposite of what you want when you are turning down for the night. 

So if you are planning to do any intense exercise, get it done in the morning or afternoon. Leave at least 2-4 hours between the end of your workout and bedtime to give your body time to cool down.  

3. Hot Shower 

As with exercise before bedtime, a shower before you sleep can help you sleep better and deeper. The problem is if you take a hot shower right before you get into bed. 

It’s the same issue as high intensity exercise — the hot water raises core body temperature which interferes with the body’s ‘go to sleep’ process. Your core body temperature needs to go down for you to feel sleepy and drowse off. A hot shower can prolong this. 

A warm bath is better before bed. A cold shower is even better because it quickens the drop in core body temperature. Just make sure it’s not too cold. 

If you have to take a hot shower, do it at least an hour before bedtime. 

4. A Glass of Wine 

No, a glass of wine does not help you sleep better despite popular belief to the contrary. Alcohol is a depressant, so it can make you sleepy and help you fall asleep quicker. 

However, it affects the latter stages of your sleep. You may find yourself waking up several times in the middle of the night. It also keeps you from sleeping deeply. 

Taking alcohol close to bedtime can also cause or worsen sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and snoring that further affect sleep quality. 

So whether it’s a glass of wine or a bottle of beer, avoid it before bedtime. If you are going to have a drink, experts recommend doing it at least four hours before you sleep. This gives it time to metabolize. 

This requires no mentioning, but smoking is also bad for sleep. And this is not even about having an evening cigar. Smoking at any time of the day can cause insomnia and a host of other sleep problems. 

5. A Late and Heavy Dinner 

One of the less known tricks to overcoming insomnia is having a smaller dinner early in the evening. Eating a heavy meal close to bedtime is a recipe for digestive discomfort including heartburn and bloating that can make it difficult to fall asleep. 

In addition, avoid very spicy foods as they can cause heartburn when you lie down.