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Healthy sleep is important for our mental and physical health, and all of us, from children to older adults, can benefit from better sleep. Good sleep hygiene can play a key role in achieving that goal. And-good news!-improving our sleep hygiene has little cost and virtually no risk, while providing big benefits to our overall health.
What are the signs of poor sleep hygiene?
Having a hard time falling asleep
Experiencing frequent sleep disturbances
Daytime sleepiness
An overall lack of consistency in sleep quantity or quality
How do we improve our sleep hygiene?
Good sleep hygiene comes from putting ourselves in the best position to sleep well every night. Forming healthy habits and creating a restful bedroom environment can create an invitation to rest. A handful of helpful tips can be adapted to fit our individual lives. Here are some ideas that we can use to improve our sleep hygiene:
Create a sleep schedule: When we have a set schedule, we normalize sleep as an essential part of our day and get our brain and body accustomed to getting the full amount of sleep that we need.
Follow a nightly routine: How we prepare for bed determines how easily we fall asleep. When we keep our routine consistent, budget 30 minutes for winding down, including turning off screens, and create a space that welcomes rest and relaxation, we set ourselves up for healthy sleep.
Cultivate healthy habits: Our daytime habits also play a role in how we sleep at night. Adopting positive routines, like getting daylight exposure, exercising regularly, eating dinner early, and limiting caffeine, nicotine and alcohol can support our natural rhythms and limit sleep disruptions.
Create a sleep sanctuary: To fall asleep more easily, it is important to keep our bedrooms calm and free from disruptions. By blocking out noise and light, setting our thermostats to around 65 degrees, using quality bedding and investing in a comfortable mattress and pillow, we can create a haven for rest and relaxation.
Experiment: While basic sleep hygiene applies to us all, our ideal sleep hygiene varies. It’s worth testing out different adjustments to find what helps us each sleep best. We don’t need to change everything at once-small steps can move us toward healthier sleep.
We know that good sleep hygiene is important to overall good health. Implementing one or all of these tips can help you to rest easier and enjoy the healthy sleep that you deserve.