Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene is all about putting yourself in the best possible position for a great night’s rest. Sleep hygiene skills if practiced daily, can help you fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up well-rested. Below are some steps that you can take to improve your sleep hygiene skills thus, in turn, help your sleep quality and performance for the next day. Think of sleep like your body’s time to do its internal housekeeping of its daily activities, it’s like your body and mind internal shower time to cleanse itself in preparation for the next day’s activities. Why does the analogy of an internal shower work when comparing it to sleep? What happens if you take half-ass showers, or go days without a shower? For starters, you will fall into the unpleasant side of proper hygiene and your girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, and children might be keeping their distance away from you, but more importantly you put yourself at an increase risk of infections, bacterial or fungal. You shower to cleanses your body’s exterior organ your skin, just as your sleep cleanses your body's interior organs. Research has shown that chronic lack of sleep or poor sleep quality increases the risk of illnesses and disorders like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, depression, and anxiety.
Before we can talk about sleep hygiene, lets talk about sleep. Why is it important, why should we prioritize sleep? The 8 minute video below does an excellent job on describing the importance of sleep, please watch for some free knowledge.
Our stages of sleep
Two main stages of sleep
Non-REM (1-3) and REM
We cycle through the stages several times a night, about 3 to 4 full cycles.
Non Rapid Eye Movement (Non-REM), Three different stages
Non-REM Stage 1
Wakefulness to initially falling into a light sleep
Usually last less than 10 minutes
Non-REM Stage 2
Light sleep to a deeper sleep
Usually last 30 to 60 minutes
Non-REM Stage 3
Deep sleep during the first half of the night
Usually last 20 to 40 minutes
Rapid Eye Movement (REM)
About 90 minutes after falling asleep
Eyes move rapidly from side to side
Arms and legs become temporarily paralyzed
Decreases as humans age
Where most dreaming takes place
Now that we have some working knowledge on sleep and it’s importance, let’s talk about some sleep hygiene skills that you can practice starting tonight to help improve the quality of sleep.
Set up a sleep schedule
Fixed sleep and wake up time schedules do the mind and body good.
Conditioning your mind and body around a sleep and wake schedule helps to keep you running at an optimum level.
It’s hard to keep a schedule with a 5 day work week but try your best to mirror the schedule on the weekends as well.
Set a bedtime schedule that is early enough for you to get at least 7 hours of restful, uninterrupted sleep. Some people require more or less sleep, figure out what your required amount is.
Below is the guidance of recommended sleep according to the CDC;
Newborn 0 to 3 months = 14 to 17 hours
Infant 4 to 12 months = 12 to 16 hours
Toddler 1 to 2 y/o = 11 to 14 hours
Preschool age 3 to 5 y/o = 10 to 13 hours
School age 6 to 12 y/o = 9 to 12 hours
Teenagers 12 to 18 y/o = 8 to 10 hours
Adults 18 to > 60 y/o = 7 or more hours
References
Nightly Routine
A nightly routine is like the Pre-Sleep game plan before the big show, Sleep.
Disconnecting from blue light emitting electrical devices like computers, smartphones, and tablets earlier in the evening helps to eliminate the strong blue light that these devices emit which effects the release of your sleepy time hormone Melatonin.
I repeat, DO NOT let your electronic devices effect your sleep BFF hormone Melatonin.
Link below is to a Harvard Article on the effects of blue light
Below are links to different companies offering blue light glasses
Activate your night shift mode on your smart phones can help but the screen brightness can also effect Melatonin.
References
Healthy Daily Habits
Making a conscious decision to improve your day time habits, also improves your night time habits.
Decrease your caffeine intake in the afternoon and evening.
Decrease your alcohol consumption.
Stop smoking tobacco, Nicotine is a stimulant and is known to disrupt sleep patterns.
Avoid eating a late dinner, give yourself at least a couple of hours before you lay down for bed.
Get physical activity throughout the day, regular exercise helps to promote physical and mental health.
References
Co-Sleeping with your cute pet does come with a cost
The bed is for Foreplay, Sex and Sleep
NO PETS
Your pets as cute as they may be, can, and will interrupt your quality of sleep, consider setting boundaries with you and your furry friend.
Your cute adorable pet could also effect both your quality of sleep and your sex life, proceed with caution. Dr. Page wrote a good article on the subject of your pet and intimacy.
Pets carry allergens in their fur which ends up in your bedding, worsening your allergies thus affecting your sleep quality.
Pets are carriers of parasites like hookworms and roundworms, the parasite eggs can end up in your bedding causing health concerns for you or your family members.
Do you wear your shoes in your bed? Would you want to track whatever you walked on while outside on to your bed? If the answer is NO to both of those two questions, why on earth would you want your pets filthy paws that tracked who knows what from the sidewalk and grass on to your comfy bed?
References
Time management napping, napping responsibly
Napping can be beneficial when done appropriately, consider timing to be the key factor when laying down for a nap.
Studies have shown that naps that last 10 to 20 minutes can be refreshing and restorative for the mind and body.
Nap responsibly and set a timer or alarm.
Experts suggest napping earlier in the afternoon before 2pm can provide the greatest bang for your buck and lessen the effects of disturbing your nights sleep schedule.
References
Social media and disruptions in falling asleep and staying asleep
Social Media, the double-edged sword of the 21st century
Social Media and it’s effects in preparing for bed is a slippery slope, don’t get caught in its mental roller coaster ride when you are trying to unwind from a busy day.
The entire social media platform is based on you the user being on their application for as long as possible, bad idea when you are trying to get to sleep, stay clear of their mental traps.
The content that you are scrolling through can consciously and subconsciously take your mind down a worm hole that honestly can wait till the next day, do not go down the worm hole.
Turning off the notifications on your phone can also help when trying to practice good sleep hygiene skills, can’t FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) if your aren’t aware of what’s going on.
Bedroom Tips and Tricks
Your sleep environment is an essential part of proper sleep hygiene. Having the right environment increases your chances of success every time you lay your head down to sleep.
Blackout Curtains
Having a way to block out any light from coming into your bedroom helps in preventing sleep interruptions.
Link below is to a great Healthline blog with different options for selecting the proper Blackout Curtains;
Comfortable Temperature
When your bodies circadian rhythm starts it’s process of shutting down for the night, our bodies core temperature starts to fluctuate a couple of degree’s Fahrenheit. While the temperature starts fluctuating in our body, the master sleep hormone Melatonin starts being released. Having the proper room temperature at night for sleep helps in cooling our body down during the regenerative process. We don’t have internal fans like our computers do, which turn on when they start running too hot, instead our body compensates by sending core heat away from our bodies core by vasodilating (enlarging) our blood vessels in our extremities. Lets help our body with the cooling process by;
Turing down the thermostat between 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (can vary a few degrees from person to person)
Using a fan or humidifier in our bedroom
Decreasing night time sweating with breathable sheets, pillow cases, duvet and comforters
Wearing loose PJ’s
Taking a warm shower or bath before bedtime
Proper Bedding
We spend about a third of our life in bed, why not make sure that we are using the best possible bedding for that third of our life.
Sleep foundation article on the best blankets of 2021
References
Calming relaxing music before bed
Calming the mind is essential when starting to unwind from the days events, calming tunes can help your mind get to that peaceful place.
Listening to calming music or white noise can have it’s benefits for sleep.
Music interventions have proven to be an alternative as a non-pharmacological option in treating insomnia.
Good article from The Healthy on sleeping sounds and restful sleep;
References
Below are some options on YouTube that you may enjoy to listen to before falling asleep, Enjoy!
Alston’s Recent Blog Post
In our fast-paced modern world, the connection between our diet and overall well-being is often overlooked. However, the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, widely regarded as the father of modern medicine, understood this connection well. His famous quote, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," underscores the profound impact that what we consume can have on our health. Today, this ancient wisdom is finding new relevance, particularly in the realm of mental health, with growing evidence supporting the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.