The term “sleep hygiene” might be confusing for some people, especially since most of us think about hygiene as something we brush, wash, clean, or disinfect. But the Oxford Dictionary definition of hygiene is actually “conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease”. This definition perfectly describes the basic tenets of sleep hygiene. And if you don’t know what those are, or if you’re only vaguely familiar with the concept, get ready to gain some knowledge!
Let’s Talk About the Basics of Sleep Hygiene First
As with most things in life, you have to crawl before you can walk. It’s no different with sleep hygiene. After practicing most or all of these basic steps for a few weeks, you may be ready to move on to the next level. But until then, be sure to focus on these five basic things:
Manage Light Exposure the Smart Way
Did you know that being exposed to the wrong types of light at the wrong times of day can totally throw off your circadian rhythm? It’s true! And it makes sense when you think about it. Human beings survived and evolved over thousands of years to be diurnal instead of nocturnal. This is why we feel wakeful and energized when we are exposed to the light of the sun. It’s also the reason why we feel sleepy after the sun goes down. But turning on electronic devices at night (which emit the same blue light that the sun does, BTW) can trick our brain into thinking it’s still daytime. That’s why some people feel wide awake in the middle of the night.
Exercise Is More Important Than Ever
Exercise is good for you in pretty much every conceivable way. And now, there’s scientific proof that it is also good for improving your sleep. Just look at young children: they are extremely physically active most of the time, and they never have trouble sleeping. That’s no coincidence. The harder you work during the day – both physically and mentally – the easier it will be to get good, quality sleep at night.
Food Matters – Both What, and When
Well, food and drink, to be clear. Caffeinated beverages, like coffee and energy drinks, should never be consumed after noon. This is especially true if you have a slower metabolism, because the caffeine will stay in your body for the rest of the day and make you feel jittery at night. Then there’s spicy food, which can cause painful indigestion if you eat it too close to bedtime. But that rule doesn’t just apply to spicy foods; refined sugars and fatty foods will likely do the same thing. On the flip side, you won’t have these problems if your dinner contains fruits, protein, and fresh vegetables. Lastly, drink most of your water during the day and afternoon instead of the evening. We can’t tell you how common it is to have your sleep cycle messed up buy a full bladder in the middle of the night.
Forget the Man Cave – You Need to Sleep Cave!
The best way to help yourself get better sleep is to create a space which is perfect for it. How do you do that? It’s easier than you think! Start by making sure you can get your bedroom as dark as possible before you go to bed. Blackout curtains, painting the walls a dark color, buying sexy plum or dark crimson silk sheets, or even something as simple as a sleep mask can help do the trick. You’re also going to want to turn down the temperature if you can afford to, or get a really good fan to keep the air circulating and lower the temperature. Also, be sure to remove as many distractions as possible. Yes, this includes your tv, computer, and even your pets. Pets can squirm and make noise in the middle of the night, waking you and disturbing your sleep.
Skip the Drugs and Keep it Natural
We know how tempting it is to reach for an over the counter sleeping pill on your roughest nights. And if you’ve been having sleep problems for a while, you’re probably thinking about getting a prescription from your doctor. But those should be last resorts! By taking a natural herbal sleep remedy, you can skip the dangerous side effects of synthetic drugs while also improving the rest you get.
Taking Your Sleep Hygiene to the Next Level
We hope you give the techniques above a try, and that you’ll be patient while implementing them. Like we said before, it can take several days or a few weeks for your body to get used to the changes. Once it does, try challenging yourself by doing any or all of the following:
- Meditate before bed. And no, it doesn’t have to be that weird transcendental meditation that drives some people crazy. It can be as simple as counting your breaths! Plus, we highly recommend downloading a free guided meditation app for your smartphone. It’s a great way to get started, especially if you’re new to the meditation world.
- Wake up and go to bed at the same time every. Single. Day. We added all of that unnecessary extra punctuation to emphasize the point. Eventually – and we know this sounds hard to believe – your body will learn to wake up and get sleepy at the same time all on its own. You’ll never have to set an alarm again. Of course if school, work, or other life challenges get in the way, you’ll get a free pass on this one. But we highly suggest trying it out if you can.
- Take meticulous notes – for science! Keep a sleep journal next to your bed, and make sure to note important things like when you get into bed, how long you think it took you to fall asleep, what time you wake up, and how many hours of sleep you got in between. If anything disturbed your sleep, write that down too. For more accurate measurements of your sleep time, you can get one of those fancy fitness watches which measure that sort of thing – just keep in mind they aren’t always 100% accurate before you go splurging on an expensive new piece of jewelry.
We’re not just preaching this advice, either. We’re practicing it, too! A few of our staffers agreed to make these tweaks to their sleep hygiene, and pretty much all of them have seen massive amounts of improvement. You can too if you give it a try.
Avinol PM 