Are You Practicing Good Sleep Hygiene? Tips for a Better Night's Rest
- Jessica Wolf
- Apr 22, 2024
- 4 min read
What is Sleep Hygiene?
The term 'Sleep Hygiene' is used to describe healthy bedtime habits that help us get a good and restful night sleep. If you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or find yourself struggling to wake up in the mornings - poor sleep hygiene could be the cause...
How do we improve our sleep hygiene?
On average, healthy individuals tend to fall asleep within fifteen to twenty minutes, and get around seven hours or more of good quality sleep each night. If you fall within this range, and you find that you generally feel healthy and rested in the mornings, then congratulations - keep doing what you are doing! If not - don't worry, here are some things we can do to improve the quality of our sleep...
Turn off TV’s, laptops, computers, and gaming devices at least thirty minutes before bed. Flashing lights, noises, and other electrical signals and disturbances interrupt the body’s natural sleep rhythm. By exposing your brain to light, noise, and other stimulation - you are effectively sending a message to your brain that it’s time to stay awake and alert.
Reduce mobile phone usage before bed. If you use your phone to set an alarm or record sleep activity, try to do so in ‘dark mode’ and turn notifications to silent where possible.
Turn off the lights. Our brains switch off fully when there is as little light in the bedroom as possible. If for any reason you cannot turn off the lights, try using dimmed, low-energy lighting or lights that mimic natural environments. The aim being to take it back to basics! Our bodies - despite evolution and human innovation - still prefer environments that are as close to nature as can be.
Have a regular sleep pattern. While it may not always be possible to go to sleep and wake up at the exact same time each day, we can definitely tweak our daily schedules to suit our lifestyles and the needs of our minds and bodies. Set rules for yourself, while still allowing space for flexibility! For example, instead of aiming to wake up at exactly 7am each morning and fall asleep at exactly 9pm every night, aim to wake up between 6am and 8am; while aiming to be asleep between 8pm and 10pm. Of course, you can move the times to accommodate your own personal schedule, and even with alternating shift patterns the same rules can be applied.
Light daily exercise. Every day we give our body energy in the form of food. If we are not using that energy in a physical way, it may be used for thinking instead. Which, of course, can be useful during the day for coming up with creative solutions to problems - but not so much at night when trying to fall asleep. Some light exercise a few hours before bed helps us to use up this 'leftover' energy, leading to a more restful night sleep.
Be mindful of what you’re eating and drinking. It probably goes without saying that too much caffeine during the day can keep you awake at night, and the same can be said for alcohol and other depressants or stimulants which interfere with the body’s natural processes. Not only that, but the timing of meals also plays a big part in how well we sleep. For example, if you’re eating late at night - your body needs to continue using energy to digest the food you’ve eaten, which means rather than your brain having the chance to switch off - it is instead required to stay awake and alert so it can send and regulate signals between the various body parts involved in digestion.
Create a restful environment. Whatever feels peaceful and pleasant to you - create that. Perhaps introducing certain colours, textures, or patterns to your bedroom helps you to relax, or maybe it's mood lighting and soothing music. Investing in a supportive mattress and pillow also helps our bodies to feel comfortable and ready for a good night sleep.
Practice deep breathing. While there are many breathing exercises available to help you get a good, quality night’s rest - it is also not necessary to think about it too much. Watch videos during the day for tips, but at night, when you’ve already closed your eyes and ready to fall asleep - see if you can let the to-do lists, rules, and judgements, fall by the way side. If, at any time, you cannot remember how to perform a particular breathing technique, don’t worry about it. A good rule of thumb to remember is - when you want to relax; make the exhale longer than the inhale. With every exhale, allow the body to relax a little more each time. Inhale naturally and fully, while exhaling slowly and with control.
The importance of a good night rest
Approximately a third of our lives is spent sleeping - and for a good reason! Sleep is an essential process, it helps our bodies to repair from injuries and recover from illness, and gives our brains the time and space needed to effectively sort through information, and undergo a number of maintenance processes that help us to function properly during the daytime.
Good quality sleep leads to better overall health and wellbeing, as well as improved memory function and attention. On the other hand, poor sleep quality can lead to illness, irritability, brain fog, forgetfulness, poor concentration, lapses in memory and many other things that make it harder to function....
Our sleep patterns and health are strongly connected, and not getting enough sleep can lead to both poor physical and mental health (including heightened feelings of anxiety and depression) - which in turn, makes it harder to sleep!
Practicing good Sleep Hygiene and having a healthy bedtime routine helps us to avoid falling into this cycle, improving our health and wellbeing, and making us happier creatures all round!
If you'd like to read more about sleep hygiene and the importance of a good night rest, below are some useful links:
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