Do you bring your phone to bed with you and scroll through social media because you're not really tired when bed time rolls around?
Maybe you should stop that.
Our screens (computers, phones, televisions) all emit a blue-light which messes with our internal body clock, making it that much harder to fall asleep. You know what also gives out blue light which tells us it's time to be alert, awake and ready for the day?
The sun. So I'm assuming you can see where the confusion our body is experiencing may be coming from.
Blue light is not blocked by our eye lids. It goes directly to the back of our retina, where it can block the hormone melatonin, which helps us feel sleepy and eventually fall asleep.
Studies have been done which blue light which found that blue light supresses melatonin for twice as long as any other light, which shifts our sleepiness back.
It not only negatively impacts our sleep, but it has been discovered with research to contribute to cancer, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
The majority of us (myself included) have a lot of blue light being thrown at us throughout the day. We spend our days working on the computer, then winding down by scrolling through our phones, then wonder why our bodies are always on alert mode and we can never actually get that rest we feel we desperately need.
The switch to LED energy efficient bulbs may also be to blame with the amount of blue light we are being exposed to.
What can you do?
Obviously we can't just toss our computers and phones in the trash, we use those to work and communicate.
You can start reducing your exposure to blue light by:
Limiting screen time 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Changing your devices to night mode/dark mode which limits the blue light emitted from the device.
Invest in a pair of blue light blocking glasses.
Change light bulbs out or use red light.
Expose yourself to natural bright light during the day.
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