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Achieving consistently better sleep is sometimes a matter of habit.
Good sleep hygiene encourages making sleep-positive adjustments to your environment and pre-bed behaviors.
By regularly practicing good sleep hygiene, quality rest becomes a matter of routine.
What is proper sleep hygiene?
Proper sleep hygiene uses regular repetition of sleep-friendly habits to develop a healthy sleep routine.
Done correctly, sleep hygiene becomes a habit, providing a long-term solution for sleep difficulties.
“Quality sleep is essential for cognitive function, mood regulation, and overall well-being.
Why is sleep hygiene important?
Essentially, sleep hygiene turns good sleep into a habit.
Why is habit important?Studies plus a lot of anecdotal evidence show that humans are creatures of habit.
We like routine, often doing the same things everyday, sometimes without even realizing.
Andresearchshows that frequent lack of sleep can have both short-term and long-termimplications on health.
Which is why you want to replace those bad sleep habits with a good sleep hygiene routine.
The most obvious sign of poor sleep hygiene is bad sleep.
It’s not always obvious that you have poor sleep hygiene until you take a step back.
But what seems like an ordinary evening routine might be the reason you spend your nights disrupted.
Keeping a sleep diary can provide an overview of your sleep, helping you identify problems and find solutions.
Is sleep hygiene the same for everyone?
Take a gradual approach when determining what proper sleep hygiene looks like for you.
For example, move your bedtime by 15 minutes, rather than an hour.
“By prioritizing sleep hygiene, you’re free to reduce the risk of various health problems.”
Sleep hygiene can improve sleep, but it wont work for everyone.
5 rules for sleep hygiene
These overarching rules from the basis of sleep hygiene.
And remember that these rules are general, not specific, and need to be personalized to your needs.
If you want to keep a close eye on your schedule, thebest sleep trackersprovide the exact data.
Find your sleep windowPay attention to when you feel sleepy and when you feel awake to determine yoursleep window.
Learning yoursleep chronotypecan also help you build a schedule that suits your natural inclinations.
This helps regulate your body’s internal clock,” says Lisa.
This routine should be followed nightly and adapted to suit your own needs and interests.
Start your wind-down at least 30 minutes before your bedtime, to get you into a calm headspace.
Choose the right activities, and yourbedtime routine can be the best part of your day.
At least one hour before bed, put down your smartphone and pick up other sleep-friendly activities.
Reserve the bed for sleep and intimacy, and on the weekend, avoidbed rotting.
Optimize the bedroom for sleep
Sleep hygiene encompasses environmental factors, not just behaviors.
Choose the right mattressA supportive sleep surface is essential to enjoying pain-free, consistent sleep.
A pillow should cradle your head and help keep your spine aligned through the night.
Ourbest pillowguide can help you one that works for you.
Id recommend bedrooms are kept cooler than the rest of the house as our core body temperature drops overnight.
Around 16 to 19 degrees Celsius (60 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit), is ideal.
Useblackout curtainsor an eye mask to keep light out when youre in bed.
Aim to incorporate them into your diet throughout the day, if you want to feel the benefits.
Avoid eating late at nightAs well aswhatyou eat, its important to considerwhenyou eat.
In addition,lying down after eatingcan cause indigestion, which further contributes to bad sleep.
The10-3-2-1-0 sleep methodrecommends cutting out caffeine 10 hours before bed and alcohol three hours before bed.
Get activeExercise can help you sleepby regulating your body clock.
If you have toexercise before bed, keep things light a relaxing walk or light stretching should work.
Keep it regular
Sleep hygiene, much like regular hygiene, isnt a one and done kind of activity.
Just like you should brush your teeth every morning, you should commit to sleep hygiene every night.
While sleep hygiene should become habit that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to remain static.
