SLEEP HYGIENE TIPS

Good sleep habits are referred to as “sleep hygiene.” These are behaviors that can improve your sleep. By practicing sleep hygiene you may find it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

What drives sleep?

There are various factors that drive our ability to fall and maintain sleep. Understanding these factors will help you make informed changes to promote your sleep health. 

1. Circadian rhythm. This is our natural biologic sleep rhythm, or clock, that is genetic and dictates when we tend to get sleepy at night. Some people have a delayed circadian rhythm (and tend to be night owls) and some tend to have earlier circadian rhythms (and tend to be early birds). Teens and young adults tend to have later clocks. As we age, our clocks shift to occur earlier. This means it may be more difficult to fall asleep or wake up at times that conflict with our natural rhythm. 

2. Environmental Cues. There are various environmental clues that our body uses to drive our sleep rhythm. Light exposure during the day cues our brain that it is daytime and makes us more alert. When light dims in the early evening, our body releases melatonin, which is a hormone that gets our body ready for sleep a few hours later. The timing of eating and exercising also signals to the body the time of day. 

3. Sleep pressure. Sleep pressure is the drive or urge to fall asleep that is impacted by many factors, most notably how long we have been awake. What time we wake up and whether we nap may impact sleep pressure. 

4. Mental and physical state. We are more likely to fall asleep if our mind and body are relaxed. For example, pain and anxiety may make it harder to sleep. Our para-sympathetic nervous system is our “rest and digest” nervous system that promotes relaxation and opposes our sympathetic nervous system, which is our “fight or flight” system. 

Following are things we can do to promote our parasympathetic nervous system at night.  

Sleep Promoting Behaviors

1. Limit the bed and if possible, your bedroom, for sleep and sex only. By using the bed for sleep only, our brain is better cued to sleep every time we hit the bed. 

2. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day (even on the weekends!). If it is too difficult to get up at the same time on the weekend, try not to vary your wake-up time by more than an hour. Sleeping excessively on the weekends may set you up for difficulty falling and staying asleep on the weekdays. Waking up at the same time every day helps to regulate our daily sleep pressure. Most adults need between 7-8 hours of sleep a day, but some may require less sleep (short sleepers) and some may require more (long sleepers). 

3. Go to bed when you are sleepy, not earlier or later. Do not head to bed prior to feeling sleepy and lay there for long periods of time, as your brain will no longer associate your bed as a place to sleep. Also, try not to sleep procrastinate by pushing through even when your body is ready to sleep. You may miss your perfect window to sleep. 

4. Incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Even 20-30 minutes of focused exercise can be impactful. Exercise helps you fall asleep faster and hit deeper and more restorative stages of sleep. Avoid exercise too close to bedtime which may make it harder to fall asleep. 

5. Get sunlight exposure during the day. This helps to orient your brain to when it’s day versus night. Go for a brief walk in the morning before work or during your lunch break. 

6. Eat breakfast shortly after you wake up. This helps to cue the brain that it’s wake time. Skipping breakfast can confuse your brain as to when it’s time to be awake. 

7. Develop a wind down routine. Allocate 30-45 minutes to wind down before bedtime. By doing the same routine every night, the brain is cued that it’s time for sleep. Spend 10 minutes getting ready for the next day (preparing clothes, making lunch, etc), 10 minutes on hygiene (brushing teeth, washing face) and the last 10-20 minutes relaxing. Relaxation activities may include meditating, reading (not on an electronic device), listening to music, audio book or podcast. Content should be relaxing and not overly engaging or disturbing as this can impair the brain’s ability to get ready for sleep. Deep breathing and meditation exercises can promote our parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) system and help with mind racing. You can also consider a meditation app such as “Calm” or “Insight Timer.”

What to Avoid

1. Avoid long, late naps. This can make it difficult to fall and stay asleep at night. Naps should be limited to 15-25 minutes, no later than 3 pm. 

2. Stop intake of alcohol 5 hours before bedtime. Alcohol causes greater awakenings the second half of the night and can contribute to fragmented sleep. 

3. Limit intake of caffeine after 2 p.m. Adenosine is a chemical which builds up through the day as we remain awake. High levels of adenosine at the end of the day makes us sleepy. Caffeine inhibits this sleep-promoting chemical. 

4. Avoid screen time 2 hours before bedtime. Light from electronic devices may further delay our biological sleep clock by tricking the brain into thinking it is daytime. Screen time before bedtime may make it harder to fall asleep and may cause more awakenings at night. Apps, news, games and social media can be very activating, making it difficult to wind down. 

Benefits of Sleep

1. Sleep is important for our body to repair itself. Sleep is essential in maintaining the health of our heart, brain, hormonal system and even our gut. Every cell in our body has a sleep rhythm. When we don’t give our body time to repair, that leads to more damage and medical problems. 

2. Adequate sleep helps to regulate hormones associated with appetite and weight gain. Getting enough sleep can help you lose weight.

3. During sleep, our brain rewires and “backs up” its hard drive. In this way, sleep improves our ability to regulate emotions as well as our ability to learn new things, form memories, and focus during the day. 

4. Sleep improves our ability to fight infections. 

5. Sleep speeds our body’s ability to recover from physical activity and can improve athletic performance.  

Consequences of Sleep Deprivation

1. Insufficient sleep has been associated with increased risk for hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, depression, cancer, low testosterone levels, reduced immunity, and dementia. 

2. Lack of sleep can limit our ability to learn new concepts, retain memories, and regulate our emotions. 

3. People who get less than 5 hours of sleep on average die earlier as compared to those who get an average of 7-8 hours of sleep a night.