Sleep hygiene, as the term implies, relates to the proper maintenance of habits and conditions that affect your sleep. This maintenance includes a fairly well established list, which is:
- Expose yourself to natural light during the day
- The circadian rhythm regulates the sleep-wake cycle by a physiological process that involves how your eyes and skin absorb light. Exposing yourself to natural light keeps this process in balance.
- Avoid napping during the day
- Napping during the day upsets the body’s natural sleep rhythm, making it very difficult to fall asleep at night. By avoiding napping you will feel more tired at your regular bedtime and this will allow you to better establish a regular sleep time.
- Exercise regularly
- Exercising is an optimal way to regulate mental and physical stability, and this greatly contributes to sleeping well. However, it is important not to exercise too close to bedtime (about 3-6 hours before bedtime) as the physiological effects of exercising contribute to wakefulness.
- Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime
- Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that artificially wake the body up and make falling asleep very difficult. Alcohol speeds up the onset of sleep but as the body begins to metabolize the alcohol it causes arousal and interferes with remaining asleep.
- Avoid large meals close to bedtime including spicy or sugary foods
- Sleeping is the time when the body focuses on rest and repair. If you’ve eaten a large meal before bed your body will spend a lot of energy digesting the food instead of on actions that apply to the natural sleep state. If you need to eat something before bed, a light snack of any of the following is recommended as these foods all contain tryptophan (which helps produce serotonin, which causes feelings of relaxation): yogurt, milk, cheese, oats, bananas, poultry, eggs, peanuts and tuna.
- Associate your bed and bedroom with sleep
- Having an environment that is associated with sleep goes a long way to inducing feelings of sleepiness. By preparing your bed and bedroom as a place for sleep only, you won’t be distracted by activities that are meant for wakefulness. This means avoiding activities such as watching TV and working in your bedroom.
- Establish a routine for relaxing before bedtime
- Difficult as it can be to stop thinking about work and other daytime problems, by fixing a time and routine to prepare for sleep, your body and mind will be better able to switch to a condition of relaxation. Starting about an hour before bedtime, make a conscious decision to engage in anti-stress activities such as deep breathing exercises, taking a warm bath or shower or reading a good book. By making these relaxation activities more important than anything else your mind may be occupied with, you will become naturally aligned with your sleep phase.
- Fix a regular sleep cycle, about 7-8 hours per night, including a fixed bedtime and waking time
- Our lives work best when they are in sync with the natural day-night cycle. Getting in sync requires repeated regulation of sleeping and waking by adhering to fixed sleeping and waking times. This can be difficult to achieve when you are out of sync, but by sticking to fixed times your body will eventually become physiologically habituated and you will find it easier to fall asleep and wake up at these fixed times. Expect to see results in about two weeks of starting a fixed sleep-wake regimen.
- Control waking in the middle of the night
- Even when you have best prepared for a good night’s sleep, there is always the possibility you will wake up during the night. If, when this happens, you are still awake after 20 minutes, it’s best to get out of bed, leave the bedroom and do a simple activity like eating a minimal snack, briefly reading some light material or even taking a quick bath or shower. Return to bed after 20 minutes. Do not watch TV or engage in any type strenuous mental or physical activity.