Without sleep, your health -- both mental and physical -- as well as your ability to <a href="#">Focus</a> seriously suffers. A recent study even found that when you get less than eight hours a night, you're more likely to experience anxiety and depression. Clearly, without an adequate amount of rest, none of us are fun to be around.

There are a few tried and true ways to get a better night’s sleep, such as not consuming caffeine after a certain hour or keeping your devices out of your bedroom. But there are also factors that you wouldn’t expect to be sapping valuable hours of shut eye. Read on for some of the most stealthy sleep saboteurs.

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If you have a tendency to stay up all hours, it may be because of a gene mutation. Scientists at Rockefeller University in New York City studied a gene called “CRY1,” which helps regulate our circadian rhythms and when we feel tired.

People who have a variation of CRY1 have a longer circadian cycle than others, leading them to stay awake longer. Recent studies have found that women need more shut eye than men because of the more complex ways they use their brains during sleep. Women tend to sleep 15 to 20 minutes longer than Without sleep, your health -- both mental and physical -- as well as your ability to <a href="#">Focus</a> seriously suffers. A recent study even found that when you get less than eight hours a night, you're more likely to experience anxiety and depression. Clearly, without an adequate amount of rest, none of us are fun to be around.

There are a few tried and true ways to get a better night’s sleep, such as not consuming caffeine after a certain hour or keeping your devices out of your bedroom. But there are also factors that you wouldn’t expect to be sapping valuable hours of shut eye. Read on for some of the most stealthy sleep saboteurs. That same research from the CDC also looked at different demographics to figure out how well people slept based on their relationship status. The study found that folks in a relationship got better sleep compared to single people. Sixty-seven percent of married people slept seven hours or more a night compared to 62 percent of people who never married and 56 percent of those who were divorced, separated or widowed. .
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 	<li>Don’t bring me any bad news</li>
 	<li>We don’t need any more ideas</li>
 	<li>Failure is not an option</li>
 	<li>Don’t do anything without asking me first</li>
</ul>
Peppermint is a prime way to keep you alert and focused, as evidenced by a study conducted by Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia in 2011. If you're fading and need to meet a deadline, peppermint tea might be a helpful solution to help perk up, but if you want a soothing beverage before bed, try something else. Just avoid citrus, which has similar effects to peppermint. And maybe brush your teeth earlier in the evening.

New research from Harvard found a correlation between rising temperatures due to climate change and a loss of sleep. And a recent study identified that air pollution, specifically nitrogen dioxide, impacts our ability to sleep well. City dwellers in particular are at risk on top of the other stressors inherent to living in bustling metropolitan centers.

Your inclination might be to close the door to prevent outside noise from disrupting your sleep, but it turns out that open doors and windows can actually help. A recent study found that opening your bedroom windows and door before you go to sleep can reduce carbon dioxide levels in the room, which could adversely affect the quality of sleep. The researchers found a connection between better sleep depth and efficiency and fewer instances of waking up in the middle of the night. Yes, really. A 2016 study found in particular that children’s sleep patterns were disrupted by the phases of the moon.