What is sleep hygiene?
Sleep hygiene refers to the healthy habits and practices that can improve your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Good sleep hygiene is incredibly important for both your physical and mental health. By following proper sleep hygiene recommendations, you may be able to treat or prevent certain sleep disorders.
Some key tips for practicing good sleep hygiene include:
- Establish a regular sleep schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends, to regulate your body's internal clock and reinforce your natural sleep-wake cycles.
- Create a restful sleep environment. Make sure your bedroom is cool, quiet, and dark. Consider using blackout curtains, a fan, white noise machine, or earplugs if needed. Also, make sure your mattress and pillows are comfortable.
- Avoid screens before bedtime. Don't watch TV, use your phone, or look at other screens during the hour before you go to sleep, as the blue light can disrupt your circadian rhythm.
- Limit daytime naps. While short power naps can boost energy and productivity, too much daytime sleeping can make it harder to fall asleep at night.
- Cut back on evening meals and snacks. Eating too much close to bedtime can negatively impact sleep quality.
- Establish a soothing pre-bed routine. Listening to calm music, reading a book, taking a bath, doing light stretches, or practicing breathing exercises can help you unwind.
- Limit caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. All three can interfere with your ability to fall and stay asleep, so avoid them in the later afternoon and evening.
Making simple tweaks to your daily and nightly habits can go a long way in improving sleep quality. If you continue having significant difficulty sleeping for over two weeks, speak to your doctor to identify and address any underlying issues. Getting on a better sleep schedule takes consistency and patience, but the impact on health and wellbeing makes it well worth the effort.
Let me know if you have any other questions! Sleep tight.