Sleep hygiene refers to a set of habits one has that influences their sleep quality. Many times it is easy to identify a connection between insomnia and a person’s sleep hygiene. If you are having difficulty sleeping and can’t identify why, I recommend that you pay attention to your habits throughout the day, especially leading up to nighttime. It can be helpful to record your habits in a sleep journal for 2 weeks, which will allow you to evaluate what helps, and what doesn’t. Paying attention to your sleep hygiene is one of the most important things you can do to maintain good sleep.
Recommendations:
- Try to go to bed the same time each night
- Try to get up at the same time each morning
- Be sure your bedroom is dark enough, install black out blinds, if needed
- Keep the bedroom quiet and cool when sleeping
- Use your bed only for sleep and for sex
- Try to eat your last big meal at least 3 hours before bedtime
- Find enjoyable, relaxing nighttime activities such as a warm bath, a cup of decaffeinated tea, or listening to soothing music
- Consider alcohol consumption as it can disrupt your natural sleep cycle
- Avoid taking drugs or sleep aids without your doctor’s advice
- Avoid caffeine and sugar at night
- Create a relaxing routine each night and repeat, (cup of decaf tea, bath, reading)
- Get regular physical activity each day
- Try to avoid watching or reading about the news in the evening
- Get outside for at least 20 minutes a day
- Try guided meditation or other relaxation exercises before going to sleep
- See your doctor if sleep disturbance lasts for more than 2 weeks
What to avoid:
- Caffeine and sugar six hours before bedtime
- Daytime naps
- Excessive television or internet use at night
- Stimulating activity just before bed (scary movie, emotional discussion)
- The use of alcohol or other unprescribed drugs to get to sleep
- Watching or reading about the news
- Eating a big meal right before you sleep
- Taking another person’s sleeping pills
- Taking over the counter sleep medication, unless your doctor suggests it
I also like to recommend that you determine a time of the night to begin winding down. This is a time that you “close” the kitchen, your phone and other electronics. You want to begin to prepare your body for the treasured time of the day to just rest and rejuvenate. You may need to replace a habit with a new one—for instance, listening to calming music instead of watching the news, connect to a free guided imagery meditation app instead of looking at social media. Some people find that aromatherapy can help them to relax. Once it’s time for lights out, don’t allow yourself to lie in bed awake for more than 30 minutes. If that happens, get up and engage in a quiet activity such as reading a book or journaling. When you begin to feel sleepy, return to bed. Repeat this as many times as necessary. Give it time. It can take up to 2 weeks to reset your sleep cycle so don’t despair if this doesn’t work after the first few nights.
