Expert reveals four evening mistakes that are making you wake up at 3am every night

It’s never great having a restless sleep, and the heatwave isn’t making things any better. However, an expert has revealed four mistakes people may be making that is causing them to wake up at 3am every night.

Although it may feel good waking up at night, and realizing you still have hours left in bed for your alarm, it’s not so great when you can’t get back to sleep.

Even worse when the restless night affects your energy and mood the next day. However, the recipe for a good sleep may start hours before entering the bedroom, and there’s four common evening routine activities that an expert has warned people to stop if they want a peaceful night's kip.

There are a number of evening activities an expert tells people to quit for a peaceful night's sleep (Getty Stock Photo)

Drinking alcohol before bed

Many people like to wind down with a glass of wine or two, especially after a stressful day. This may increase to a few (or many) more over the weekend - but Oliver Goble of Supply Life tells the Express that it tends to fragment sleep.”

Although it may help people fall asleep easier, the quality of sleep is impacted, with people experiencing “lighter, less restorative sleep." Plus, dehydration doesn’t help either…

Caffeine later in the day

Another treat people may have to remove from their evening routine, or even afternoon routine, is caffeine, which stays in the body longer than some may expect.

"Even coffee consumed in the afternoon can still affect sleep later that night for some individuals," he told the publication, stating that energy drinks and pre-workout follow the same rules.

A cup of coffee in the afternoon could be disrupting sleep (Getty Stock Photo)

Late night meals

Unfortunately, it’s another treat that may not be helpful for getting a good night’s kip.

Goble states that eating late at night can affect sleep quality as the body continues to digest large meals.

It can also increase the risk of ‘acid reflux, bloating or discomfort overnight,’ the expert warns.

Stress

Well, this is something we would love to stop - and according to Goble, it’s the leading cause of a restless night's sleep.

He stresses that when a person is ‘chronically stressed’ the body remains in more of an alert state during the night.

“Stress hormones such as cortisol may interfere with deeper stages of sleep and make people more likely to wake during the night,” he adds.

Although it’s virtually impossible to remove stress from our daily lives, the Sleep Foundation recommends trying out techniques such as meditation and deep breathing before hitting the sack.