What Is Sleep Hygiene?
Sleep hygiene refers to the healthy practices and routines a person might use to get better sleep. Improving your sleep patterns takes time, so this short blog post will provide you with the practices to optimize your sleep schedule and get a better, healthier night's rest.
Why Is Good Sleep Important?
Your body relies on consistent healthy sleep to perform its core functions. Without good sleep – which the CDC qualifies as being at least seven hours of continuous rest — your body is at higher risk for memory problems, heart and circulatory complications, a weakened immune system, dampened social-emotional skills, and more. It is essential to optimize sleep so you can maintain the other eight dimensions of wellness.
Practices To Use
One of the best ways to improve your sleep hygiene is to reshape the way you view sleep itself. This can be done by creating what Harvard Medical School calls a "sleep sanctuary." By employing some best practices, you can rejuvenate your sleep hygiene:
- Reduce unwanted noise. Curtains and rugs can absorb existing sounds, while sleep machines (such as those for white noise) can mask distractions by producing new, more sleep-conducive sounds.
- Minimize light. Consider blackout curtains if outside lights shine into your bedroom, or you might make sure to turn off all screens before bedtime. Minimizing both yellow-white light and blue light can help you relax.
- Maximize your comfort. Finding a comfortable mattress, blankets or pillows can make falling asleep easier, faster, and more efficient.
- Optimize room temperature. The ideal room temperature for sleep is around 65°F to 68° F. Rooms that are too warm/cold will cause discomfort and, in turn, poor sleep quality.
- Sanctify your room. Another way to reinforce the mentality that your bed is meant for sleep is to complete your work outside of the bedroom. By reserving restfulness for your bedroom, you not only reduce distractions but also destress your sleep environment.
Practices To Avoid
Some of the best methods to improve sleep hygiene have to do with monitoring what you consume and when you consume it. The U.S. Veterans Health Library recommends you avoid the following practices:
- Eating large meals within three hours of your bedtime. Intakes of fat and sugar so close to sleeping can cause fatigue even after you have woken up from rest!
- Consuming alcohol before bed. A drink might make you tired at first, but it fragments sleep, interferes with REM sleep, and disrupts the natural sleep cycle, leading to increased fatigue and grogginess the following day.
- Consuming caffeine in the evenings. Caffeine is a stimulant and can prevent you from both falling and staying asleep.
- Using nicotine products. Nicotine products, in addition to contributing to many negative health outcomes, act as stimulants and can make it difficult to fall asleep and difficult to stay asleep
Resources on Campus
The providers at Student Health Services (hours found here) are happy to speak with you about your sleep concerns and can assist in identifying potential underlying causes. The clinicians at Counseling & Psychological Services (hours found here) can assist you with any stress or anxiety that might be disrupting your sleep.
Additionally, the Shaw Wellness Institute is stocked with free sleep aid kits to help you get better rest at night. You can come to Shaw during open hours to receive a kit. We encourage you to stop by!