Sleep hygiene refers to maintaining a consistent approach to your sleep health.
Having good sleep hygiene can improve your sleep over time, when combined with other sleep improvement measures.
Sleep hygiene covers two areas:
your sleeping environment and your bedtime routine.
Everyone has their own unique way of preparing for bed, but the key here is consistency. Being consistent allows for positive and beneficial routines to eventually become stable bedtime habits, through ongoing positive reinforcement.
However, do not obsess about it... just do what you WANT and FEEL like doing.
There are many things you can do to help yourself settle down ready for beddie.
Getting into a good sleeping routine takes time, so take the pressure off yourself and make just one small change at a time. Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey!
Listed below are some sleep hygiene ideas:
Food & Drink
Avoid eating and drinking just before bed. The body takes time to digest food.
Avoid alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and non-prescribed drugs just before bed.
Calming Down / Reducing Anxiety Routine
Create a relaxed getting-ready-for-bed nightly routine to do before you get into bed. This can help you soothe any anxiety and fight/flight responses and therefore, increase the chances of you dropping off once you are in bed:
Improve Your Relationship With Your Bed
Don't lie around in your bed. If you cannot sleep after 20 minutes get out of bed and go and do something you enjoy until you're feeling tired again.
Don't lie around on your bed during the day - bed is for intimacy and rest only!
Take the pressure off sleeping - worrying about sleep makes it worse!
Avoid lying-in after a bad night's sleep. Get up at the same time each morning and find other ways to rejuvenate yourself again.
Your Sleeping Environment
Ensure that your bedroom is a quiet and undisturbed, clutter-free zone.
Reduce noises that keep you awake. Check the temperature of your room; if it's too cold or too warm, you are likely to wake up in the night or find it hard to drop off.
The best bedroom temperature for sleep is approximately 65 degrees Fahrenheit - that's 18.3 degrees Celsius.
Consider the amount of light that you need in your room also. Some people find it harder to sleep in pitch black darkness and feel more able to sleep with a night light or hall light on. Perhaps you might like to invest in blackout blinds/curtains if there is too much light coming in from outside. Alternatively you could try wearing an eye mask.
The layout of your room might not be optimal for a good night's sleep, so try moving furniture around and see if this helps. In addition, if you are considering redecorating, choose soothing, non-stimulating shades like greys or soft greens. Reds and harsh, strong colors can provoke moods that are not conducive to creating a serene and restful ambience. Go to Sleepy Products Shop..
Bed & Bedding
Find a supportive pillow and mattress that you feel works well for you. Good quality products aren't cheap, but can be life-changing when it comes to getting a good night's sleep. Also, try to afford good quality breathable bedding such as bamboo, or cotton; this might be a game-changer, especially if you are prone to getting too warm at night or struggling with menopausal night sweats.
And what about the weight of your bedding? Are you a blankets and sheets person? or do you like the weightless feel of a duvet or comforter. These things do affect how easily we are able to settle down and fall asleep at night.
Ensure your bed is secure and sturdy; imagine how difficult it would be to try to fall asleep if you're worried the bed will collapse at any moment.
Reducing Stress & Anxiety
Are you having issues in other areas of your life, that are having a knock-on effect with your sleep routine? Are you having relationship, family or work issues that are unsettling and causing anxiety?
Set aside time to try to resolve these as soon as possible. Constructing a plan of action REALLY helps. It helps you to feel in control of the situation and helps you focus on your next step in its resolution.
For further information about getting to sleep, read About Anxiety & Sleep
Victim of a Snoring Sleep Partner?
Invest in some ear plugs and/or encourage your partner to get some help from their GP or healthcare provider. Divorce is another option.
Snoring could be caused by many factors.
Get it checked out. Go to Sleepy Products Shop..
Are You Waking During The Night?
Read our tips HERE
Getting Professional Help
If you continually struggle to get good quality sleep, book an appointment with your GP or healthcare provider. They will be able to decipher why this is happening and help you resolve any issues. They may ask you to keep a daily sleep log of your sleep habits which could help identify things that make it harder for you to fall or stay asleep.
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