There are few things better than climbing into your bed after a long day. Once you feel the comfort of your soft duvet wrapped around you, and the firm pillow beneath your head, you’d think that it would be only a matter of minutes before you’re in dreamland. The unfortunate reality is that many of us have trouble sleeping, and according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “A third of U.S. adults report that they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep.”

Not getting enough sleep can lead to a number of health problems and can cause injuries or mistakes in the workplace. We all understand the importance of a good night sleep, but there are a number of things that you may not realize, which could be preventing you from a night of blissful slumber.

Among the most common reasons, is that you are not getting enough exercise. According to the National Sleep Foundation, exercise has been shown to help improve sleep, and studies suggest it can also help individuals with chronic insomnia, reducing the time it takes to fall asleep, and increasing the length of sleep.

Caffeine helps beat the midday slump, and some people cannot face the day without it, but drinking too much coffee, and too late in the day, can affect your ability to fall asleep. According to BestHealth, caffeine “blocks the effects of adenosine, a chemical produced by your brain that makes you sleepy.” It’s also a diuretic, so you may be going to the toilet in the middle of the night!

Stress is one of the more obvious reasons why you may not be sleeping, and many people spend the time before bed thinking about the worries that are plaguing them. But Donna Arand, clinical director of Kettering Hospital Sleep Disorders Center, told BestHealth there is a way to stop yourself from doing this. Simply make a list a few hours before bedtime, detailing what’s bothering you… “That way, if thoughts of your problems arise as you’re trying to sleep, you can tell yourself, ‘I’ve got a plan and I’ll work on it tomorrow.’”

Wearing socks in bed can seem weird and feel uncomfortable, but CheatSheet notes that in addition to regulating the temperature of your bedroom (a cooler room equals a better quality of sleep) sleeping with socks could benefit individuals who are prone to having “colder than comfortable extremities.” It’s got to do with thermoregulation.

Other things that could be affecting your sleep include if your routine is out of sync (if you tend to lie in for hours on the weekend, this could upset your body’s rhythm), if you’re on your period (we know, as if it’s not uncomfortable enough already), or if your room is messy. According to Metro, a study has indicated that those with an untidy room found it harder to sleep, compared to those who have a more organized sleeping space.

_{[Image via Shutterstock]}