A good night’s rest can mean the difference between a good day and a bad day. So how can you set yourself up for success?
The truth is, you have more control over getting a good night’s sleep than you might think. Factors like your environment and your nightly routine can influence your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Creating new habits can help you get the restful sleep you desire. If you’re one of the 33% of Americans that are sleep-deprived, it might be time to try something new. Follow our tips for sleep hygiene to finally put those late nights of tossing and turning to rest.
What is good sleep hygiene?
Good sleep hygiene is the practice of creating an environment and routine that is conducive to high-quality, consistent sleep. Signs of good sleep hygiene include waking up feeling rested, falling asleep easily, and sticking to a consistent sleep schedule.
While some people may naturally have better sleep hygiene, it is something that anyone can work on and experience the benefits of.
What are the signs of poor sleep hygiene?
Conversely, poor sleep hygiene may look like:
- Daytime tiredness/sluggishness
- Difficulty falling asleep
- Difficulty staying asleep or experiencing sleep disturbances
Poor sleep hygiene can be caused by a myriad of issues, including ADHD, depression, and anxiety. The connection between sleep and mental health issues is a complex one.
Difficulty sleeping can both worsen and be worsened by mental illness, which is why good sleep hygiene may help some people fall asleep and not others. Depending on the underlying issues, sleep hygiene may not be the answer. It must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
What is the connection between sleep hygiene and mental health?
Sleep plays a huge role in both physical and mental health. As we’ve mentioned, sleep deprivation can aggravate existing mental health issues. Lack of sleep can even become a source of anxiety for those experiencing it on a daily basis.
Getting a good night’s rest is crucial to daytime productivity and overall quality of life. Without sleep, we wouldn’t have the fuel we need to take on the upcoming day.
What are sleep hygiene techniques?
Sleep hygiene techniques generally fall into 3 different categories, based on what’s in your realm of control.
You can be mindful and create changes when it comes to your sleeping environment, your nightly routine, and your daily habits. Making small shifts to any of these factors can have an impact on your overall sleep quality.
Tips for Sleep Hygiene
Here are our tips for sleep hygiene broken down by category. Hopefully, this gives you lots of ideas on how to set yourself or your family members up for success.
Create an Optimal Sleeping Environment
- Make sure your bedroom is adequately cool, dark, and quiet – Use black out curtains or an eye mask to block out light, and use a white noise machine or earplugs to drown out noise.
- Slip on socks – Regulate your body temperature, especially in your hands and feet, to help you fall asleep.
- Use an oil diffuser – Calming scents can help you relax before bedtime. Scents like lavender are naturally calming.
- Keep work and play out of the bed – It’s important for your body to create a strong association between your bed and sleep. Try not to do work, answer emails, or watch TV in bed. These activities tend to make you more alert.
Stick to a Nightly Routine
- Establish a sleep schedule – Try to stick to a consistent sleep schedule whether it’s a weekday or weekend. This will help get your body used to falling asleep and waking at a certain time.
- Take time to wind down – Your body needs time to wind down after a long day. Help induce a state of calm through meditation, prayer, or yoga. These activities help slow your breathing, lower your heart rate, and quiet your thoughts.
- Follow a bedtime routine – Repeated actions like washing your face, brushing your teeth, or putting on your pajamas can help reinforce to your mind and body that it’s time to rest. Repeating these activities before you go to bed will signal to your body that it’s bedtime.
- Power down before bed – Refrain from using your phone and other electronics in bed, as blue light emitted from electronics can cause us to be awake. Consider keeping your phone in another room so you aren’t tempted to use it in bed.
- Get your thoughts out – Many of us lie awake at night thinking about the day that just happened or the upcoming day. Consider buying a journal to reflect upon your day or create a to-do list for the next day to clear your mind before bed.
Engage in Good Daytime Habits
- Get moving – Regular exercise can help improve our quality of sleep. However, try to avoid rigorous exercise the hour before bed, as it may disrupt your sleep cycle. If you want to engage in physical activity before bed, consider doing yoga or light stretching instead.
- Eat well – Similar to exercise, eating a well balanced diet can positively affect our sleep quality. However, try to avoid eating large meals late at night. Our bodies need time to digest food before we rest.
- Avoid caffeine and alcohol – Both caffeine and alcohol can disrupt your sleep cycles. Try to refrain from consuming caffeine in the evening and drink alcohol only in moderation.
- Don’t nap – Napping can make it harder to fall asleep at night. If you choose to nap, try to keep your naps short (less than an hour) and earlier in the day (before 5 pm).
- Don’t toss and turn – If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up and engage in a calming activity such as reading, meditation, drawing, or journaling before going back to bed. This helps you reinforce the mental connection between being in bed and falling asleep.
Need More Tips for Sleep Hygiene?
If you or a loved one are struggling to establish healthy sleep habits, our licensed professionals are here to help. We want to help you get the restful sleep you deserve.
There’s no shame in seeking help, and we make the process super simple – you call, we match you. It’s that easy. With convenient locations in both the Georgetown and Liberty Hill area, we are just a phone call away.
Rooting for you,
Jenna
Jenna Fleming, LPC, NCC, is a Georgetown, TX therapist. She is also the owner at Georgetown and Liberty Hill Child & Family Counseling, where it is their mission to help people thrive through Christ-centered counseling.
