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 poor sleep and a person’s sleep hygiene. If you are having difficulty sleeping and can’t identify why, I recommend starting a sleep journal, keeping it up for 2 weeks and then evaluate your habits or hygiene. 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 block out blinds, if needed
- Keep the bedroom quiet when sleeping
- Use your bed only for sleep and for sex
- Try to eat your last big meal at least 3 hours before bedtime
- Consider alcohol consumption as it can disrupt your natural sleep cycle
- 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
- Get regular exposure to outdoor light
- Try guided meditation or other relaxation exercises before going to sleep
What to avoid:
- Caffeine in the evening
- Daytime naps
- Excessive television or internet use at night
- Stimulating activity just before bed (scary movie, emotional discussion)
- The use of alcohol to get to sleep
- 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 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. 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.
TracyLivecchi, LCSW
November 13, 2018
