Many of us are one simple habit change away from having the best sleep of our lives. It’s just that we tend to hold onto our bad habits dearly. 

But good sleep is worth letting go of some of our habits such as late night doom scrolling, a glass of wine after meals or binge watching late into the night. You will be healthier, happier and more energetic.  

If you feel your sleep quality could use some work, start by getting rid of any of the following nighttime habits that are bad for sleep. 

1. Staying Up Late 

We are all guilty of this one. We stay up late watching, browsing on the phone, gaming, working or doing some other activities. 

The problem is that most of us have to be up early for work. So when you stay up late, you don't get enough sleep. And over time, you could suffer the serious and deadly effects of chronic sleep deprivation.

One of the best things you can do for your sleep quality is getting into a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed early and around the same time everyday. This not only ensures you get 7-9 hours of sleep, it also gets your circadian clock into a nice rhythm, which helps you fall asleep easily every night. 

But if you are sleeping at 9pm one night, 11pm another night and past midnight on other nights, it throws your body and could lead to insomnia. 

2. Staying Awake for Too Long in Bed

If you often have trouble sleeping when you get in bed, the worst thing you could do is to continue staying in bed. 

It’s normal to take between 10 and 20 minutes to fall asleep once you get in bed. This is called sleep onset latency. If you find yourself still awake after 20 minutes, get out of bed. 

Continuing to struggle to sleep only causes sleep anxiety, making it even harder for sleep to come. You may also be tempted to pick up your phone, which is guaranteed to keep sleep away for much longer. 

Instead, wake up and do something that gets your mind off sleep like writing, reading, cooking, listening to music or anything that doesn't stimulate you too much. You will find yourself getting sleepy soon enough.

3. Taking Coffee  

Unless you are one of those people with genetics that make them immune to the effects of caffeine, avoid coffee, tea or anything with caffeine in the evening. 

In fact, you should leave at least 6 hours between your last cuppa and your bedtime, to give the caffeine time to metabolize out of your system. And if you are hypersensitive to coffee, consider limiting it only to the morning hours. 

4. Drinking Alcohol 

The other beverage to avoid before bed is alcohol. A glass of wine or a couple of beers after dinner might make you feel sleepy and can actually help you fall asleep faster. 

But alcohol messes up with your sleep later in the night. It causes night-time awakenings and can keep you from getting deep restorative sleep. Experts recommend leaving at least four hours between your last drink of the day and your bedtime. 

Smoking, at any time of the day, is also bad for sleep. It causes sleep deficiency and severe insomnia.

5. Eating a Large Dinner 

Sleeping with a full stomach slows down digestion, resulting in heartburn, bloating and other uncomfortable symptoms that can affect sleep. 

So avoid eating large and especially overly spicy meals before bed. Even better, push your dinner earlier in the evening to give your body plenty of time for digestion. 

6. Using Your Phone in Bed

There is still some debate on how bad blue light from our phones is for sleep. Some researchers say iit reduces melatonin production, while other studies show minimal impact on sleep.

That said, experts say it is still a bad idea to use your phone in bed. Even if the light is not as bad as we think, most of the content we consume is a lot worse for sleep whether it is social media, news or work emails. It is usually stimulating, it stirs emotions and can make us more stressed or anxious.  

You probably don't have to turn off your phone two hours before sleep, but at least avoid getting into bed with it. Just having it there can keep your mind distracted from sleep.

7. Picking Up Your Phone in the Middle of the Night

Another big issue with having your phone right there in your bed is that it’s so easy to pick it up in case you wake up in the middle of the night. And once you pick it up, all sleep leaves you and you are there browsing for hours. 

The phone itself can wake you up with notifications especially if you are a light sleeper. 

8. Intense Exercise Before Bed

Exercise is great for bed. You can even work out right before bedtime, contrary to what we’ve always been told. But, as research has found out, mild to moderate exercise an hour before bed is fine, and is even good for sleep.

But avoid anything too intense too close to bedtime. Intense exercise raises core body temperature, which prevents the body from relaxing and getting sleepy. It also leaves you too alert to sleep. 

Give yourself at least four hours after exercise to cool down before you sleep. Taking a cold or warm shower can help you relax faster.