Getting a Good Night Sleep is Essential to Maintaining your Physical and Mental Health
Sleep hygiene is a term that describes good sleep habits to reduce daytime exhaustion and improve the quality of your sleep.
- Try to develop a regular sleep rhythm by going to bed and waking up at more or less the same time, even on weekends and days off. The quality of your sleep will be better with a regular sleep rhythm.
- If you
are not asleep after about 20 minutes, get out of bed and do something calming
like reading a boring book or listening to soothing music until you feel
sleepy. Then return to bed again. Avoid doing anything that is too stimulating
or interesting and keep the lights on low.
- If you
still cannot fall asleep, try doing some regular, slow breathing as you count
each breath. This will help calm your
mind and allow you to fall asleep.
- Make sure
that your bed is associated only with pleasant activities such as sex and
sleep. Avoid watching TV in bed or using
your laptop or smartphone while in bed. Research
suggests that you should not use these illuminated devices at least 2 hours
before going to bed.
- Avoid using
caffeine, nicotine and alcohol for at least 4-6 hours before going to
bed. Stimulants will interfere with
your ability to fall asleep and alcohol will produce rebound leading you to
wake up two to three hours after falling asleep.
- Have a
hot shower or bath 1-2 hours before bedtime as it will raise your body
temperature and cause you to feel tired as your body temperature drops.
- Avoid a
heavy meal before going to bed. A light
snack of foods high in tryptophan like milk or a banana will act as a natural
sleep inducer.
- Your bedroom
should be cool (66 degrees), dark, and quiet.
Use an eye mask and earplugs if necessary.
- Avoid long,
daytime naps (longer than 30 minutes) so that you do not go into REM sleep. Brief daytime naps, lasting less than 15
minutes, can be refreshing during the day and usually do not interfere with
sleep.
- Finally, develop a bedtime ritual that might include 10-15 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing, relaxing stretches and having a cup of caffeine-free tea.