I’m a doctor — here are 5 bad habits that are ruining your sleep

Sweet dreams await thanks to these sleep tips.

Dr. Karan Rajan, a surgeon with the UK’s National Health Service — and who boasts millions of followers on social media — is sharing a list of the top five things that are ruining your sleep.

Getting plenty of rest — more than seven hours per night, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — is extremely important for overall health.

A lack of ample sleep can increase your risk for certain diseases and disorders by weakening the immune system as well as brain function, according to The National Institutes of Health, not to mention exacerbating mental illness and mood disorders.

Rajan recounted the bad habits in a recently resurfaced TikTok video, which amassed hundreds of thousands of views.

“Your sleep is being ruined by five common habits,” Rajan begins the viral clip.

Here’s what he shared with viewers:

1. You’re chowing down before bed

Eating a large amount of food before bed can ruin your sleep, increasing your chances of indigestion in the middle of the night.

“It takes 90 minutes for 50% of your stomach to empty into the small intestines, so the more full your stomach is, the higher chance of acid reflux,” he said.

Instead, the doctor suggested waiting two to three hours to go to sleep after you eat a large meal.

2. You’re chugging water before bed

You may want to re-think having that big bottle of water on your nightstand.

The body increases the production of the hormone ADH during sleep, which “retains water and suppresses your need to pee,” Rajan said.

“If you drink lots of water before bed, it can suppress the production of ADH [hormone] — so you pee more, and you wake up more and it ruins your sleep,” he continued.

3. Your bed is too warm

It’s crucial to keep cool if you want that sweet eight-hour rest.

In the video, Rajan showed a graph that shows peak body temperature typically hits at 7 p.m., after which it drops, prompting drowsiness. But if your room or bed is too warm, it may disrupt this natural cycle.

“There’s an increased production of melatonin,” he said. “Basically, our body needs to become cooler to sleep faster.”

4. You’re drinking too much

Rajan advised against having an alcoholic nightcap before bed as it can have an effect on the type of sleep you’re having.

“Alcohol messes up your REM sleep,” he explained, which is the stage in the sleep cycle where you have dreams, per The Cleveland Clinic. Booze often makes us “pass out” fast, then causes us to linger for longer in the first stage of REM — thus throwing your sleep cycle out of whack, and causing you to wake at odd times of the night.

5. You’re consuming caffeine too late

Rajan recommends staving off caffeine several hours before it’s time to tuck in.

He explained that caffeine can block a neurotransmitter called adenosine, which is the molecule that makes you feel tired.

“Caffeine doesn’t make you more alert, it just makes you feel less sleepy, because it prevents the accumulation of the sleep molecule,” he said.

The Post has reached out to Rajan for additional comment.