These Seemingly Innocent Habits Could Be Costing You The Sleep You Need

If you’re not one of those people who drifts into a blissful slumber as soon as your head hits the pillow, you might want to start thinking about what you’re doing in the two hours before bed that’s possibly keeping you up.

Love a nightcap? Me too. Addicted to watching HGTV ’til your eyes get heavy? I get it. But some of these seemingly innocuous habits could be preventing you from easily transitioning into a restful night’s sleep.

So, do we need to give up all our bedtime rituals — even that evening pour of Macallan — for the sake of good sleep hygiene?

That’s exactly what my co-host Noah Michelson and I wanted to find out on this week’s episode of “Am I Doing It Wrong?” — HuffPost’s podcast that explores our all-too-human anxieties about trying to get our lives right.

To see where we might be going astray, we lovingly bombarded Senior Wellness Editor Lindsay Holmes (who’s spoken to several experts) with all our bedtime-related questions. Her responses might surprise you — and hopefully leave you a little more excited to mentally (and sometimes physically) declutter before bed.

After you’ve had a listen above or wherever you get your podcasts, subscribe to “Am I Doing It Wrong?” so you don’t miss a single episode, including our investigation of the ins and outs of tipping, how to score the best deals on airline tickets, and interviewing for a job like a pro. Next week, we’re tackling grocery shopping.

Need some help with something you’ve been doing wrong? Email us at AmIDoingItWrong@HuffPost.com, and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming episode.