Practicing Good Sleep Hygiene

It’s not big news that we as a society are not getting enough quality sleep. Many people report feeling unrested and tired throughout the day. Not getting enough sleep affects our moods, alertness, and performance at work and home. We have demands on us that keep us up late at night and require us to wake up early. Even when we do have the time to sleep we may find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. Worries about work, finances, family and just about everything keep us up when all we want to do is get some shuteye. Our lifestyles affect our sleep quality and quantity as well. We are too sedentary, we eat poorly and we ruin our sleep with alcohol, chemicals and drugs. What can we do to improve our quality of sleep and really, our quality of life? Let’s take a look.

Establish Good Sleep Habits

Getting into some healthy habits regarding sleep will do wonders for your slumber. It’s important to get your body into a routine and stick with it. Your body craves consistency especially regarding sleep. Here are some tips to establish good sleep habits:

Try to fall asleep and wake up at the same time

This gets your body used to a routine and establishes a healthy sleep-wake cycle. It is important to keep to your schedule every day including weekends and holidays. You will start to feel sleepy around the same time each night and wake up the same time each morning feeling rested.

Do not try to catch up with sleep on the weekends

Many people skimp on sleeping during the week and try to “catch-up” with sleep on the weekends. Not only does it not work, it also creates more problems. After sleeping in Saturday and Sunday mornings, most people find it difficult to fall asleep on Sunday night when they go to bed at their “regular” bedtimes. Their sleep cycles have been disrupted, they cannot fall asleep at night, and they will be overtired on Monday morning. Just keep to your every day schedule, even on weekends.

Avoid conflict and emotionally distressing conversations or activities right before bed

Nothing keeps you up more than racing thoughts. Recognize this and do not engage in fighting with your spouse or children or read distressing news before bed—you’ll be up thinking all night! If you find yourself worked up after an upsetting incident before bed, try some relaxation techniques like deep breathing and light stretching to calm yourself down.

Avoid napping during the day

Napping during the day can disrupt your sleep cycle and make it difficult for you to fall asleep at night. If you must take a nap, make sure it is in the early afternoon and that it does not last for more than 30 minutes.

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and heavy, spicy foods four hours before bedtime

Alcohol may initially have a sleep-inducing affect, but it acts as a stimulant later when your body processes it so keep away from it before bedtime. Caffeine is a known stimulant and all foods and drinks containing it should be avoided before going to bed. Remember that chocolate and even decaffeinated drinks contain caffeine. Spicy and heavy foods keep you up because your body is working hard to digest them.

Get enough exposure to natural light

Our body takes cues on when to go to sleep and when to wake up based on our exposure to light. If you have trouble falling asleep, get out into the sunlight in early in the day. If you wake too early in the morning, venture outside later in the day.

Maintain a Good Sleep Environment

Where you sleep is very important. You want your slumber environment to be very comfortable and reserved only for sleep. Here are some tips to maintain a healthy sleep environment.

Only use your bed for sleep and sex

You want to ensure that your mind only associates sleep and sex with your bed, nothing else. So perform all other daily activities away from your bedroom.

Make sure your room is not too cold or not too hot

If the temperature of your room is not optimal, you will not sleep well. The best way to keep your room is on the cool side. Be careful of heavy bedding. You might wake up in the middle of the night feeling hot and sweaty with too heavy of a blanket. 

Make sure your room is completely dark

The body associates light with wakefulness. The darker the room, the deeper you will sleep.

Block out disturbing noises

Noises from outside or even your partner’s snoring can keep you up. If you cannot eliminate disruptive noises, use a fan or a white noise machine to block them out.

Keep Yourself Healthy

Your sleep at night is tied into the health habits you engage in during the day. Eat right, get enough exercise, keep stress at bay, and you will have a more restful slumber.

Engage in regular exercise, but make sure it is not right before bed

Vigorous exercise in the morning or early afternoon is great for inducing sleep at night. Just make sure to discontinue intense activity four to six hours before bedtime. Performing yoga or other relaxing stretches before bed is fine because it helps you unwind and rid yourself of stress and anxiety.

Practice relaxation techniques

Anxiety plays a role in keeping you awake. Practice relaxation techniques during the day to deal with your anxiety and seek professional help if your worries are too much to handle.

Lose weight

Obesity is associated with sleep apnea and poor sleep. Lose weight and you will not only feel better, you will sleep better.

Create a Pre-Bedtime Ritual

It’s important to cue your body that it is time to sleep. Little rituals let your body know it’s time to slow down and get ready for bed.

Do something pleasant and relaxing before bed

Engage in some easy reading, perform some light stretches, or do a little meditation or say some prayers before bed. Let your mind associate these little rituals with falling asleep.

Take a hot bath two hours before bedtime

You fall asleep when your internal body temperature drops. A hot bath two hours before bedtime will help your body recognize the change in temperature and help you fall asleep faster.

Have a little snack—don’t go to bed hungry

Although you should avoid heavy and/or spicy meals before bedtime, you should not go to sleep hungry—your stomach will keep you up! Foods with a fair amount of carbs should do the trick.

If You Cannot Sleep

There are times that you just can’t fall asleep or you wake up in the middle of the night unable to drift back into dreamland. Those times may be frustrating, but don’t despair. You can follow some of these tips to help yourself.

Do not stay in your bed tossing and turning

The harder you try to fall asleep, the less likely you are to achieve your goal. If you have not fallen asleep after 20-30 minutes, get out of bed and engage in some light activity such as reading. Do not do anything too stimulating like watching television or getting involved with work projects. Do not expose yourself to bright light—that is a cue to wake up. When you feel drowsy, return to bed. Continuous this pattern until you fall asleep.

Reduce your time in bed when you are awake

If you remain in your bed when you cannot sleep, your mind may begin to associate being in bed with not sleeping. Go to bed when you are drowsy and get out of bed when you are not.

Try sleep cognitive behavioral therapy

Often when we are in the throes of insomnia, we start to panic and think irrationally. We start to have negative thoughts that keep us further away from falling asleep. Thoughts like, “I’ll never sleep again” or “I cannot function at all tomorrow if I do not sleep tonight” are simply not true. Replace panicky or negative thoughts with more realistic, positive ones. Over time you will retrain your brain to think more positively about sleep and you will be more likely to fall asleep faster and stay asleep.

Do not rely on sleep medications to fall asleep or stay asleep

Sleep medications can be used sparingly in certain conditions. They are not meant to treat chronic insomnia, however. Most lose their effectiveness over a period of time and some are addictive. After stopping sleeping medications, many patients experience rebound insomnia, insomnia that occurs after they discontinue sleeping medication. Some sleeping medications give patients a “hangover” effect the next morning which is almost as bad, if not worse than not having slept at all. The best way to treat chronic insomnia is with good sleep hygiene and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Sleep is a precious gift we need to respect and cherish. It is a way for our bodies to recharge and heal. Skimping on sleep is a big mistake. Take the time to practice good sleep hygiene and you will notice a positive difference in all aspects of your life.

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