Sleep Hygiene 101: Tips You Need to Transform Your Bedtime Routine

A Good Night's Sleep

By now, we’ve all heard about the transformative powers of sleep and rest. Study after study has confirmed that regular sleep is vital to our mental and physical health. Unfortunately, though, knowing about the restorative power of rest doesn’t make it any easier to get to sleep at night. If you find yourself tossing and turning or awakening in the middle of the night, it may be time to reassess your sleep hygiene.

What is Sleep Hygiene?

When we think of the word hygiene, images of showering and brushing our teeth may come to mind. In fact, the term refers to any kind of personal maintenance we perform for ourselves. By adding a few simple steps to our bedtime routines, we can ensure a more restful night. Many of the most common sleeping problems stem from poor sleep hygiene. With a little adjustment, you can up the odds of getting a good night’s sleep.

Sleep hygiene is the ultimate act of self-care. It relaxes you while also setting you up for a more successful tomorrow. Developing good sleep hygiene early is important, so be sure to model these strategies for the little ones in your home. Adolescents in particular can stand to benefit from better sleep hygiene, as the teen years are an especially critical time for sleep.

Benefits of Sleep

A regular nighttime routine can lead to better sleep. The benefits are undeniable. People who get at least eight hours of sleep a night are said to have better appetites, increased physical endurance, and improved brain chemistry – and that’s just the beginning. Sleep can boost your immune system, improve athletic performance, and prevent weight gain. The benefits of quality sleep are innumerable. Whatever your reasons for wanting a good night’s rest, incorporating sleep hygiene in your routine is the best way to fast track these benefits.

You’ve probably heard the term REM cycles before, but few people realize just how important they are for our health. REM sleep is considered to be emotional first aid, since it’s the portion of the night spent dreaming. We often dream to cope with stress, so if you’re not getting enough REM cycles in, your stress levels will continue to rise.

Tips to Try

What time do you go to bed each night? While we might traditionally associate bedtimes with children, going to bed at the same time every night can do wonders for our sleep hygiene. Our bodies crave routine. Regardless of whether or not you find yourself growing sleepy around the same time each night, it’s important to prioritize regular bedtimes.

Do you wait around your dining room table, waiting to get hungry for dinner? Of course not! So why would you get into bed to wait to get sleepy? Instead, try dimming the lights around your house in the hours leading up to bedtime. Limit your screen time, too, or invest in a pair of blue light glasses. Since the blue light our devices emit can interfere with our melatonin production, you’ll want to avoid exposure in the hour or two before going to sleep.

If you’re really struggling to fall asleep, don’t simply lie in bed waiting for sleep to find you. After a half hour or so, try doing some light stretches. Read a book in a cozy chair, take a gentle walk around your yard, or try a guided meditation. A warm bath can also do wonders to make you sleepy – the drop in temperature as you dry off can really help motivate you to get cozy under the covers.

During the Day

Sleep hygiene isn’t reserved just for bedtime. If you’re serious about getting good rest, you’ll want to employ a few daytime strategies to set yourself up for success later that night. Start by exercising daily. Even 30 minutes can help decrease the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep at night and increase sleep quality.

If you can help it, avoid taking late or overly long naps during the day. While rest is important, sleeping too late in the day can disrupt our body’s natural sleep cycle. Limit your naps to no more than 20 minutes and never after three or four in the afternoon.

The Therapeutic Connection

Your brain works hard, night and day, to keep your body functioning the way it should. Without proper rest, our brains just can’t perform at maximum capacity. If you find yourself struggling with mental health challenges like anxiety and depression, it may be time to reconsider how sleep – or lack thereof – is impacting your daily life.

You don’t have to go it alone. You can get help from a therapist to get your sleep schedule – and the rest of your life – back on track. Schedule a consultation if you would like support today!