What is Sleep Hygiene?
Sleep hygiene means a set of habits that help you get a good night's sleep. Common sleeping problems, such as insomnia, are often caused by bad habits reinforced over months, years or decades. If you have tried and failed to improve your sleep, you may like to consider professional help to get you out of this fatal affliction.
What is your Sleep Hygiene?
What are the set of habits that you practice consciously or unconsciously daily that is helping you to sleep well or sleep poorly?
Do you have any of the following habits?
Having coffee till late in the evening
Having a heavy dinner and then dropping off to sleep
Drinking alcohol just before bedtime
Exercising vigorously before hitting the bed
Watching TV till you drop off to sleep
Spending time on social media even while in bed preparing to sleep
Checking emails and browsing just before falling asleep
Spending time in bright lights right upto the time of falling asleep
If you practice one or more of the above habits, your Sleep Hygiene is poor because it is affecting the quality of your sleep.
Good sleep hygiene would mean that you do not have any of the above detrimental habits.
In addition you could look at adopting the following habits to help your sleep hygiene to stay in the positive.
Go to bed and wake up at the same time daily, even on holidays.
Set a bedtime that is early enough for you to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep depending on your sleeping needs
Don’t go to bed unless you are sleepy. Don’t use your bed for working, reading, eating, etc. The bed should only be associated with sleeping.
If you don’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed and return only when you are sleepy again
Establish a relaxing bedtime routine and keep your mind and body calm.
Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
Make your bedroom quiet and relaxing. Room should be cool.
Limit exposure to bright light in the evenings.
No mobile, laptops, TV for one hour before bedtime.
Eat dinner at least 2 hours before sleep. And keep it light.
Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet.
Reduce your fluid intake before bedtime.
Your behaviors during the day, and especially before bedtime, can have a major impact on your sleep hygiene.
Sleep well. Live long. Stay happy