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Sleep latency is the term that describes the time it takes you to fall asleep.

Both of these can happen from time to time.

Woman sleeping on her side

What is sleep latency?

Whats a normal sleep latency?

What affects sleep latency?

A sleep deprived man in a green shirt falls asleep for a second on his sofa, having what is called a microsleep

Here are the most common contributors.

This then makes it more difficult to transition to sleep.

For example, by reducing deep sleep stages and causing you to wake frequently through the night.

Woman staying awake in bed

Eating a heavy meal close to bedtime can also disrupt your sleep cycles as well as cause digestive discomfort.

Be mindful of your caffeine intake too, Denise advises.

Caffeine can affect yoursleep quality, particularly when it is consumed late in the day.

Woman taking a nap under a blanket on a sofa stretching

Thats because caffeine works by stimulating the brain so this makes it harder to wind down.

Briefnaps of around 20 minutesprovide a focus boost without impacting on how quickly you fall asleep.

But nap for any longer than this and you could find it takes more time to drift off.

A woman with long dark hair falls asleep quickly in a comfy bed dressed with soft white linens

Another consideration is the timing of your nap.

This happens when you sleep for less than normal for multiple nights in a row.

Typically, this starts with going to bed late and still having to get up early.

A woman with dark hair lies in bed yawning because she is so tired and ready to sleep

Maintaining a regular sleep and wake routine and winding down before you retire to bed can help avoidsleep debt.

A woman with curly black hair sleeps next to a man with light brown hair, both covered by a white comforter

The image shows a sleep deprived woman lying in bed and holding her hands over her eyes

Tester under the weighted blanket lying on her side in a bright bedroom

A chocolate Easter egg in pink tin foil next to image of blonde woman in purple star patterned pyjamas struggling to sleep in bed with white sheets

Woman lying down on the bed and smiling feeling comfortable

A woman lying on her side sleeping with a handdrawn thought bubble over her head to show she�s thinking

A woman with dark brown hair lies on her side staring at the back of a white alarm clock that shows the time as 2.30am

A woman with short brown hair sitting on bed with white sheets with a glass of green Spirulina smoothie in hand

A woman with an afro sleeping on her side covered in grey duvet while she sweats in her sleep, thinking of a cooling mattress.

A woman with brown hair lies on her stomach on a grey colour Japanese floor mattress

A mattress we tested is dressed with neutral colour bed linens and pillows

Casper Wave Hybrid Snow review: woman lying on the mattress on her side, with her head on a pillow

Woman smiling while she sleeps with headphones in and her arms overhead

A person wearing rubber gloves uses a spray bottle and a clean cloth to clean the surface of the Emma Elite mattress.

Michael B. Jordan as Stack and Smoke in “Sinners” movie