Some people may have trouble getting quality sleep They drink caffeine too late, sleep on the wrong mattress, or mindlessly scroll through their phones in bed There are many habits to avoid if you want to be able to sleep through the night

Tweaking your nighttime habits can help you fall asleep faster and even sleep through the night Investing in the best mattress for your body will improve the quality of your sleep in the long run, as it will make you feel more comfortable and cooler

However, when creating a nighttime routine, there are certain habits to avoid right before bed Some habits may surprise you, like brushing your teeth before bed So let's take a closer look at five things to avoid right before bed if you want to increase your chances of sleeping through the night

Experts warn that brushing your teeth right before bed disrupts the bedtime routine Despite being one of the last things most people do before going to bed, sleep expert James Wilson advised against cleaning your teeth right before bed when we spoke with him earlier this year

"Before you start relaxing at night, get everything done that you usually do before bed, like getting into your PJs and brushing your teeth," Wilson explained That way, when you feel sleepy, you can jump straight into bed rather than doing anything that might wake you up"

What to do instead: standing under the pitch-black lights in the bathroom and being drenched in cold water will make it harder to fall asleep

If one of the last things you do before going to bed is to think about what work awaits you the next day, stop there Thinking about tomorrow can easily lead to a negative cycle of ruminating

Naturally, this interferes with getting a good night's restful sleep In addition, sleep deprivation exacerbates anxiety, making it even more difficult to fall asleep

What to do instead: Before bed, write down work stresses and worries in a room separate from your bedroom Writing down worries in a sleep journal is a scientifically backed way to help reduce anxiety

If you want to fall asleep faster, you should avoid watching or reading anything too distressing or thought-provoking to prevent sleep-destroying overstimulation For example, watching the 10 o'clock news may not be the best thing to do before bed Because it makes you think or picture a lot of things that stimulate anxiety," Dr Lindsey Browning advised when we talked about bedtime habits for better sleep

What to do instead: whether it's the evening news, a scary movie, or a harrowing true-crime podcast, avoid media that spikes stress hormones, the natural enemy of sleep Instead, spend the hour before bedtime relaxing by reading a book (but not Stephen King)

It is well known that caffeinated and alcoholic beverages can make it difficult to fall asleep, but even drinking a glass of water can disturb sleep Drinking water within 2 hours before bed may lead to sleep disturbances because it simply makes one want to go to the bathroom Frequent trips to the bathroom may not only disrupt sleep, but may make it difficult to sleep at all

What to do instead: instead of waiting until just before bed to hydrate, drink plenty of water throughout the day to reduce thirst at bedtime Keeping a glass of water next to your bed can help prevent tickle cough and thirst

Checking your phone right before bed can ruin your sleep The blue light emitted by cell phones not only suppresses your body's natural melatonin (the hormone that makes you sleepy) production, but can also lead to spikes in anxiety, making it almost impossible for you to fall asleep

"If you check your phone between 30 minutes and an hour before bed, you may be exposed to something new, something you need to think about, such as friendships or work," Dr Browning explains

What to do instead: avoid bedtime procrastination and enforce a bedtime phone ban In an ideal world, turn off your phone or put it in another room an hour before bed, but activating sleep mode (which silences alerts and notifications of new messages) or putting it in airplane mode can also help