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That said, Bancroft recommends talking to a sleep specialist before buying a weighted blanket because certain people shouldn't use them, especially if you have medical conditions like poor circulation or breathing problems.ģ. I went on vacation about a month later and had more trouble sleeping under the lighter blankets because I didn’t have that comforting feeling that the weighted blanket provided. It was weird at first to sleep under something so heavy, but I felt like I was sinking into the mattress, which really helped me fall asleep faster. Winter says that “we subliminally kind of crave that feeling of being weighted down." Weighted blankets are especially helpful for people with restless leg syndrome, since the pressure helps them stop moving, he adds. Otherwise, if you're already feeling anxious, your “arousal drive” may kick in and prevent you from drifting into the most restful states of sleep. Even though I caved and drank coffee or tea on quite a few days, falling asleep took far less time on the days when I stuck to not drinking it.Īccording to Bancroft, having weight on top of us sends the brain a signal that we don’t have to be on the lookout for dangerous things in our environment. After keeping a sleep and caffeine journal, I realized that even a cup of tea at 10 A.M. Unfortunately, I found out that pretty much any caffeine will screw with my sleep.
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To figure out how strict you need to be with caffeine, Bancroft recommends keeping a journal tracking how you sleep after different amounts of caffeine at different times of day. A study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that people who had 400 mg of caffeine six hours before going to bed experienced more sleep disruptions (measured by a sleep monitor) than the placebo group. Winter recommends that insomniacs avoid caffeine completely after lunchtime. That's why some people can pass out after a cup of tea before bed, while others need to totally eliminate it to avoid sleep disturbances. The way caffeine affects you will depend on many factors including your weight, anxiety levels, and resting heart rate, Courtney Bancroft, Psy.D., a licensed clinical health psychologist specializing in insomnia and sleep wellness, tells SELF.