There are few things finer than sinking intobed after a long, hard day, right? But before you hit the sack, you probably have a bedtime routine that might include putting your hair up --if it’s long. But, this habit could do more harm than good. 

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Anyone with long hair might think that sleeping with a ponytail protects it from getting tangled or damaged. Turns out, this habit can trigger hair loss. It could even lead to a health condition called traction alopecia. Some early symptoms are small bumps on your scalp that look like pimples. If you ignore them, and continue sleeping with tight ponytails, you might wake up to see even more hairs on your pillow. Apart from losing hair, people with traction alopecia might experience itching, redness of the scalp, and flaky patches. The good news is that all those negative effects I’ve just mentioned will go away if you stop pulling your hair up before bed and give it some time to grow back. But keep in mind, it’s not only about ponytails. Tight buns or braids, and even sleeping with rollers, can also be harmful to your mane. In other words, the best thing you can do is to let your hair down at nighttime. Your hair especially deserves a break at night if you style it a lot during the day. But if you want to get it out of your face before turning in, try wrapping it up in a silk or satin scarf, or get yourself a sleeping cap. This will save your strands from tangling and breaking while you toss in bed. But in fact, sleeping with a ponytail isn’t the only common bedtime habit that can have a negative effect on your body or sleep. There are many other seemingly harmless things people do without realizing how it impacts their well-being. I have a list. Surprise surprise. Let’s start with… Going to bed hungry. If, to shed a few pounds, you strictly follow the rule of not eating after a certain time, you might do yourself a disservice. While going to bed stuffed is bad, doing the opposite isn’t any better. In fact, having a pre-bedtime snack full of protein and fiber boosts your metabolism, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy weight. Also, if your body doesn’t get any fuel before getting rest, insulin levels drop. That can be dangerous for people with diabetes, but even healthy people could wake up dizzy, or with a headache. Sleeping on your stomach. So, what’s your favorite sleeping position? Let me know in the comments! But if your answer is “on the belly” then I have some bad news for you: this position just might be the worst. It puts additional strain on your spinal cord and back, which doesn’t allow your muscles to relax during rest. This extra strain on the spine might cause pain or numbness in different body parts. Also, sleeping on your stomach can be the reason for neck problems since it’s in a twisted position all night. Doctors believe that sleeping on your back or side is the best option. Checking social media. Many people are already aware that taking gadgets to bed means poor sleep since the blue light they emit slows the production of melatonin – the hormone that makes us sleepy. But staring at your device’s screen also poses a threat to your eyes. Blue light can damage light-sensitive cells in the retina. The strain gets even worse when you do it in the darkness, which is a common thing right before dozing off for a lot of people. This might even lead to partial or permanent vision loss. Working out. A hectic schedule and everyday responsibilities often leave you with only one option – working out right before bed. But while you’re trying hard to keep your body strong and lean, you just might be setting yourself up for a failure. Doing vigorous physical exercises makes you feel more alert and awake, making it hard to doze off. And if you don’t get enough good-quality sleep, your body will produce less muscle-building hormones, and even cause muscle mass to decrease. So, if you want to achieve your fitness goals, work out as early in the day as possible. Not stretching. But, hey, skipping a bedtime workout doesn’t mean you should avoid all physical activity. In reality, light stretching can help you with warding off leg cramps at night. This type of muscle spasm, which can be really painful and disturbing, affects up to 60% of adults in the US alone. While experts are still not sure what exactly causes night leg cramping, they advise stretching the muscles regularly to lower your risk of getting them. But don’t go overboard with the stretching, or you’ll have to sleep with sore muscles. Leaving a glass of water near your bed. A lot of people put it there just in case they wake up in the middle of the night thirsty. Some prefer to drink it first thing in the morning to start the day right. But leaving water overnight might give it a bad taste. This happens when carbon dioxide starts mixing with the water. And let’s not forget that left-out water could become home to dust particles, or even a swimming pool for insects. Ew. While all this won’t cause you any health problems, drinking fresh or bottled water is a much better option. Sleeping with pets. You might think that the only disadvantage of this is having to deal with pet hair in your bed. And if your pet regularly visits a vet, you’re safe since the risk of disease transmission is low. However, if your immune system isn’t at its best, the chances for disease transmission rise. Sharing a bed with a pet is especially not advised for elderly people and those who have diabetes. On top of that, humans and animals have different sleep cycles. Pets wake up more often during the night, which can leave you cranky in the morning. Worst still, dogs in particular tend to hog the bed, and not leave you much room, like my dog Riley does. Do c I kick him off? Heck no. Do you sleep with your pets? Tell me about it in the comments below. Sleeping with wet hair. Chances are you’ve already heard the tale that it can make you ill. You won’t catch a cold just because you sleep with wet hair. But hair is the weakest when it’s wet. So, when you toss and turn in your bed, it creates friction and causes breakage. Also, the pillow’s fabric absorbs not only water from your hair, but natural oils. That’s why you’ll wake up with dull and less shiny locks. Besides, water and warmth are all bacteria need to start blooming right on your pillow, which puts you at risk of a break-out. Choosing the wrong pillowcase. Your face touches a pillowcase for much longer than any other fabric. That’s why getting a silk one is important if you want to keep your face looking good. First, silk is naturally hypoallergenic and resistant to mold, fungus, and dust mites. Also, this fabric helps your skin maintain its natural moisture. And producing silk requires much fewer chemicals than other fabrics on the marketplace. This saves your face from unnecessary exposure to these substances. Besides, the smoothness of its texture helps prevents wrinkles. Not taking time to unwind. We live in a pretty stressful time, and many of us have to juggle multiple commitments. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to relax and prepare yourself mentally for bedtime. There are a lot of health conditions that are related to anxiety and stress. Just to name a few: bloating, teeth grinding, irritable bowel syndrome, and diabetes. And, of course, many people don’t get any “me time” to relieve stress until bedtime. So, take a warm bath, take a walk in the park, or simply meditate to improve your health. If you can’t decide which of these to try first, just sleep on it.