Struggling after a night of tossing and turning? A sleep specialist goes over how to recover from a bad night’s sleep.
We all know the struggle after getting a bad night’s sleep, but there are steps you can take the following day to help you bounce back.
“Generally, we recommend you go to sleep the next night at your regular bedtime. We don’t necessarily want to promote long naps during the day because that’s going to erode sleep quality the following night,” said Nancy Foldvary, DO, a sleep specialist for Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Foldvary explained the overall goal is to fall asleep and wake up at the same time every day.
Sticking to your regular bedtime, no matter what, will help get you back to a regular schedule.
If you can’t resist a nap after a night of tossing and turning, Dr. Foldvary recommends keeping it to 20 minutes, so you’ll still be tired when it’s time to hit the hay.
Aside from that, caffeine in moderation, exercise and getting some sunshine can help tide you over.
Above all, Dr. Foldvary said to avoid oversleeping to catch up on missed sleep because you can’t truly recover from chronic sleep loss—which can carry serious consequences.
“We now know that chronic insufficient sleep leads to weight gain, obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes,” Dr. Foldvary said. “It can also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, cardiac arrhythmias, hypertension and more.”
If you continue struggling to get good sleep, Dr. Foldvary said it’s time to take a close look at your environment and make sure it’s not something like your mattress keeping you up at night.
She encourages people to see a sleep expert if any problems persist, as it could be an underlying sleep disorder.
