12+ Things You Should Never Do After 10pm
By Sophie
9 months ago
1. Eat A Heavy Meal
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Sometimes it can't be helped when you eat your evening meal, and it's better to be fed than not, however there are peak times to eat so as not to mess up your system. Eating a heavy meal at night can seriously affect your sleep as your body tries to digest just as it is slowing down for rest. You'll become bloated and probably won't feel very good in the morning.2. Go On A Run
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Nighttime running can be quite enjoyable, but it definitely is not advised. The roads are quiet, and the vibe is peaceful, however running in the dark can be very dangerous territory. Not only that, it hypes up your nervous system so that your endorphins are pumping; hardly conducive to a restful sleep!3. Drink Caffeine
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Probably the most obvious point on the list is to steer clear of caffeine, but that doesn't stop people from having a hot cup o'joe in the evenings. As caffeine is a stimulant it'll wake up your mind and your body, causing issues for sleep. It's best to avoid caffeine from 4pm, and if you must have a hot drink before bed then try decaf.4. Watch TV
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Watching the box is a common nighttime activity. It's a place to relax and spend time with your significant other, but were you aware it has the opposite effect? The blue light in the screen inhibits the production of melanin (the sleepy hormone), blocking your body's cues that it's time for sleep.5. Drink Alcohol
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Many people have a night cap to wind down after a busy day, and you'd be right that it relaxes your mind and body. This is only a temporary effect however, as although it may send you into a slumber, it'll have a negative impact on your sleep cycles so that your sleep is unrestful.6. Vacuum
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Unless you have a grudge against your neighbors and wish to seek revenge, it's probably best not to vacuum at night time. It's likely that if you upset those next door to you then they'll retaliate and there's nothing worse than being at war with your neighbor!7. Discuss Serious Topics
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Our brains have a funny way of bringing up all sorts of nonsense just as we're about to hunker down for sleep, but it's important to try and park those thoughts to discuss another time. If there's something you need to seriously talk about then doing it at night will not only disrupt sleep, but you're unlikely to have a productive conversation due to tiredness. Try and just sit with it until the morning.8. Scroll On Your Phone
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It may be the only time you get to catch up with the day's events on social media, but scrolling on your phone is a bad idea to do after 10pm. It can keep you up for hours as you lose track of time and the brightness is detrimental to a good night's sleep. If you must use your phone then try a blue light filter to lessen the negative effects.9. Watch A Scary Movie
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Scary movies are tons of fun and can be enjoyable to watch in the evenings, however maybe save them to watch a little earlier than 10pm. As the jump scares can unsettle you, your adrenaline will be activated putting you on high alert. The last thing your body will want to do is sleep!10. Drink Too Much Water
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You might want to hydrate before bedtime so that you feel good in the morning, however there is a such thing as too much water. Before alarm clocks, humans would guzzle the good stuff so they could wake early for the toilet, but as we're not expecting to be raided first thing then best to leave that practice in the past!11. Work
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If your work is quite flexible then it might be tempting to do it at nighttime when your day is over. It'll give you freedom to do as you please while everyone is awake, and get on with the boring stuff when they're asleep. Don't forget you need sleep too and engaging your brain in this way will stop you from falling asleep easily.12. Make Plans
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A good bedtime routine involves winding down your mind and creating a relaxing atmosphere. Whilst it is usually an enjoyable activity, making plans can fill you with excitement, dread, or too many thoughts as you go through the meticulous details to make it perfect. It's okay to have ideas, but save the planning until the morning.13. Make Phone Calls
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You may think it's a peak time to call someone, especially if you've had a busy day, but see if you can arrange a telephone chat at a more reasonable hour. If you haven't arranged to talk, then calling out of the blue past 10pm is highly unsociable; it'll disrupt both yours and the other person's bedtime routines and make for unhappy families as you wake them too!14. DIY
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It's not surprising that doing any form of DIY past 10pm is a bad idea. You'll not only wake whoever is in your house, but you'll wake the neighbors if not the whole street! You'll also probably end up staying up way past your bedtime as you just need to finish what you're doing, so try to plan this into your day instead15. Travel
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Nighttime travel is sometimes unavoidable but it means the whole next day is affected as you'll find yourself reaching for the coffee. Even if you're a passenger and manage a few hours, the likelihood of an efficient snooze is minimal, so try to plan your journeys for the day time if possible, in order to keep up routine.16. Eat Lots Of Sugar
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With a sugar high, comes a sugar crash, and neither states are fit for a good sleep. If you haven't eaten in a balanced way during the day, then it's likely you'll get a sugar craving come nighttime. Giving into this means you'll be wide awake during sleep hours, and you'll feel rotten in the morning, so try to get a good day's food in to avoid this scenario.17. Mental Arithmetic
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Brain training puzzles are really fun to do in your downtime, but not a great exercise if you're trying to relax. Things like sudoku, Wordle, or logical puzzles stimulate both sides of your brain making you feel doubly alert; a state which will continue on through the night.18. Have Disagreements
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You can't help when you disagree with someone, as you never know what people might say, however having a disagreement and simply disagreeing are two separate things. It can be difficult to stay silent on something you have an aversion to, but really try and save it for the morning when you're more logical and your sleep isn't at stake.19. Start A New Book
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Reading is a great addition to your bedtime routine; there's no blue light involved, it's entertaining and it can help you to relax. The only problem is, books are exciting and you may find yourself reading until all hours! Try not to start a new book and limit the amount of chapters you'll read, you'll thank yourself for it in the morning!20. Get Stuck Into A Project
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After 10pm people tend to close inwards, so it's likely you'll be left alone. Perfect time for solo projects, right? Wrong! Your focus will become intense as you work hard to complete whatever it is you're working on, and it's often hard to step away. By not getting started is the best way to avoid this sleep-depriving activity.21. Start A Movie
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Sitting down in front of a movie means that you'll be stuck there for at least 90 minutes. Then there's the wind down, the brushing of the teeth, the moving to the bed chamber, and all the other things you need to do to begin your sleep. This will all take you way past midnight which on a school night, isn't a great bedtime!22. Laundry
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It may feel like your chores are never done, but try and plan them so you can call it a night before 10pm. Putting your clothes in past this time forces you to wait up for the cycle to finish, and wake up others in your home. The neighbors won't appreciate it either as the noisy spin is beyond your control, unless you just don't do it in the first place!23. Go Grocery Shopping
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Some people prefer to do their grocery shop past 10pm as it means the mall is super quiet. You can whizz round more quickly and not get disturbed by everyone else's shopping. Grocery shopping past this time however, not only cuts into your nighttime routine but it'll lead you to make poor decisions. Your tiredness will cause you to either forget items or spend more money than you planned for.24. Gamble
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Gambling is probably not the healthiest of activities no matter what time it is, but doing it after 10pm is never a good idea. It's a sign it might be an issue to be addressed, and you're likely to make illogical bets. Don't waste your money this way as you will regret it in the morning!25. Meal Prep
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Meal prepping is a great idea when you've got a busy life and you want to eat well, but it's best done way before 10pm. You may think you're saving yourself time by doing it the night before, but meal prepping often takes a lot longer than you predict so starting too late means you'll be up all hours and probably need to nap the next day, saving no time at all!26. House Chores
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You might struggle to sleep knowing that any particular house chores have been left undone, so it's best to plan this into your days so that you're organized. We often get lost in cleaning and end up doing more than we set out to, so that small task you thought you were tackling, ends up being a big one that takes ages!27. Play Upbeat Music
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A good bedtime routine involves allowing your physical body and mental wellbeing to slow down, relax and get ready to rest. By playing upbeat music you're telling your nervous system it's ready to party so your adrenaline will pump along to the beat! Why not try classical instead or even better, some sleepy meditation music to help you drift off.28. Online Shopping
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You may think that because you're at home, in your pajamas and relaxed on the sofa, it's okay to do an online shop because technically you are chilling out. Post 10pm shopping however, often yields negative results. You might make mistakes upon ordering and payment through tiredness, and you might even go on a sleepy spree inconsiderate of the money you're spending. It's best to shop in any capacity when you have the mental space to make wise choices.29. Start Writing
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Whatever it is you're writing; whether that be a hobby, a blog, a novel or a journal, starting at 10pm is never a good idea. Some writers say they do their best work around this time, which is great if writing is your full time career. For most of us however, we have to get up for work or childcare in the morning, so exciting our brain this late at night will impact our days following, leaving us unable to function.30. Walk Home Alone
