Basic Sleep Hygiene

If you haven’t researched healthy sleep before, you may not have heard the term “sleep hygiene.” Hygiene refers to any routine that maintains our health, such as brushing our teeth or showering, but it can also refer to the healthy habits we put in place for our diet, sleep, and exercise.

Sleep hygiene is getting more and more attention in the news and media, perhaps because there are more habits we’re developing that mess with our sleep, especially the use of screens in the evenings before bedtime which can throw off your body’s natural production of melatonin and disrupt your circadian rhythm. Disrupted sleep is a major contributor to stress, anxiety, depression, and unwanted weight gain. Perhaps especially in my college-age clients, developing good sleep habits can be a real challenge, but one that often pays off greatly for those who manage it. Frequent sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness are the most telling signs of poor sleep hygiene. If you take a long time to fall asleep, that may also be a sign that you need to make some changes to your bedtime routine.

While there are many, many factors to discuss (and lots of science) when digging into our sleep habits, I just want to share a few standard go-to thoughts for adults who are suffering from poor sleep and seeking to improve their sleep hygiene:

• Spend an appropriate amount of time asleep in bed, not too little or too excessive. Sleep needs vary across ages and are especially impacted by lifestyle and health. Research recommendations for your age/lifestyle. Seven and a half hours is a good bet for most adults, to begin with.
• Limit daytime naps to 30 minutes. Napping does not make up for inadequate nighttime sleep. However, a short nap of 20-30 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness and performance.
• Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine close to bedtime. Your last caffeine of the day should be consumed 6 or more hours before bed. Minimize your alcohol intake before bed, too. While alcohol is well-known to help some fall asleep faster, too much close to bedtime can disrupt sleep in the second half of the night as the body begins to process the alcohol.
• Exercise to promote good quality sleep. As little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, can drastically improve nighttime sleep quality.
• Get outside! Ensure adequate exposure to natural light. This is particularly important for individuals who may not venture outside frequently. Exposure to sunlight during the day, as well as darkness at night, helps to maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
• Establish a regular relaxing bedtime routine. A regular nightly routine helps the body recognize that it is bedtime. This could include taking a warm shower or bath, reading a book, drinking a cup of tea, gentle yoga…. When possible, try to avoid emotionally upsetting conversations and activities before attempting to sleep (as in, consider adding a “Parks and Rec” chaser if you’re watching “Game of Thrones” or something stressful before bed :-).

Obtaining healthy sleep is important for both physical and mental health. It can also improve productivity and overall quality of life. Everyone can benefit from practicing good sleep habits.