Improving Your Sleep Hygiene
“Relax yourself girl, please settle down,” A Tribe Called Quest, Electric Relaxation
Do you wake up energized and jump out of bed like the character of a cheesy 2000s movie? Or are you snoozing your alarm and barely functioning until lunch? Are you craving a good night’s sleep after tossing and turning until dawn? Or does it seem like you just cannot catch up on rest? If you’re daydreaming of turning your phone off and sleeping with abandon, then this week’s post is for you!
In therapy we define sleep hygiene as habits, routines, behaviors, and environmental factors which impact sleep. Your quality of sleep hygiene will impact the quality of your sleep and tweaks to that hygiene can improve or harm your sleep quality. Your sleep hygiene is ESSENTIAL to your:
Physical Wellness (everything from energy, to alertness, to workout recovery)
Mental Awareness (attention, ability to retain info, to learn, to memorize, to problems solve and process)
Emotional Health (ability to cope, capacity to manage challenging emotions, and ability to experience pleasant emotions).
Like most things in life, sleep quality does not improve by accident. Simply going to bed 5 hours earlier than you normally do is likely to result in frustration, lots of screen time and a night of rest without sustainable change. We need intentionality to get better rest. If you have bad sleep habits currently, you need to replace them with positive structures. For example, you can’t just choose an ideal bedtime, you have to create structures that make it easier to achieve that goal.
Last week we gave you tools for assessing your baseline sleep hygiene, and this week, we’re giving you tips to tweak and improve it. This blog is not a replacement for seeking therapy for improving sleep quality but can support you on your quest for better rest!
Tips to Improve Your Sleep Hygiene:
Check out our list of suggestions below which are organized in 3 categories: steps you can take immediately this evening, preparations you can start as soon as you wake up tomorrow, and daily strategies to implement consistently
Improve Your Sleep Hygiene In the Evening: Everyone is unique and different activities will help you relax your body and mind enough to fall asleep.
Get curious and try different approaches for a couple of weeks. Does an evening yoga routine help you relax? Perhaps a 15 minute walk at dusk helps your circadian rhythms shift to sleep time. Soak in a long shower or bath within two hours of climbing into bed. The goal is to relax your body and get the wiggles out. You just have to get to know your body enough to know what works for you. Experiment a bit. Be curious.
You might need to relax your mind intentionally as well. Try breathing routines or journaling. Do you fall asleep best with a book in your lap? Try sitting down with your partner with the dimmed lights and only talk about things that bring you joy for a few minutes (this includes the added benefit of building your bond with your partner). Cuddle with your pet without any distractions. Calming your mind can help with falling asleep more quickly.
If at all possible, end screen time at least 2 hours before bed time: This means ALL screen time. Set your alarm, check your phone one last time, turn off the TV or tablet. If your schedule does not allow you to stay away from your screens, then make sure to turn on the blue light filter. And only make the exception for truly important screen time - catching up on social media or doom scrolling the news does not count.
Our bodies like routine when it comes to sleep. Commit to going to bed at the same time each day. Again, consistency is key. The more disciplined you are with the timeliness of your bedtime routine, the more your body starts to learn at what time it should start powering down at night.
Prepare to Support Your Sleep Hygiene in the Morning: You can start improving your sleep hygiene as soon as you wake up!
Just like our bodies like routine in the evening, they also like routine in the morning. Consistently getting up at the same time daily helps your body learn when to wake up. Of course, you can still sleep in every once in a while, but it should be the exception and not the rule. You might be surprised when your body starts to slowly wake you up before the alarm goes off.
Be kind to yourself. If you know mornings are hard for you - don't make them worse by forcing yourself to do tasks you despise first thing in the morning. Stick to the things that must happen or tasks that bring you joy - as much as possible. Of course, this might not be possible if you have to get the whole family ready for the day, take the kids to school, walk the dog, and remember to send that work email - all by 7:30am. In that case, you can try to lean into the next few tips.
Try to have something to look forward to each morning. Did you notice how much easier it is to get up early when you are excited for a trip or activity? Whether a delicious breakfast, cuddling with a puppy or a child, few minutes of quiet before the craze of the day - Anticipation of something pleasant can help fight the desire to snooze a little longer.
Daily Strategies to Support Sleep Hygiene: Consistent applications to support sleep hygiene.
Curate an environment for good sleep quality. Start preparing for bedtime earlier in the day. Set your clothes out early. Pack the kids lunches before dinner. Put away work as soon as you're done. Use every opportunity to have less things to do in the evening and morning.
Keep bed as a cozy and work free zone. This means washing your sheets regularly and not taking work calls while laying or sitting on your bed. Something as simple as tossing your bed sheets in the wash and pulling up a chair for your next zoom call can tremendously improve your sleep.
Check your diet and drink consumption. Eating late, excessive alcohol and caffeine in the afternoon can all harm your sleep. Start phasing our late night snacks and 3pm coffees from your schedule. Try drinking less at the happy hour or taste the new mocktail at the bar instead. Little changes during the day can have surprising effects.
Be strong and skip a nap. This one can be tough especially around 2PM or during that after-lunch transition back to work - but eliminating naps in the afternoon can make it easier to fall asleep at your bedtime.
Get sunshine during the day! We recommend at least 30 minutes of access to sunshine daily! It’s good for your body and queues your body up with the day/night cycle.
This blog is not a replacement for therapy or for medical intervention:
If your sleep is poor despite your best efforts, it may be beneficial to consult with a doctor. Keeping up with your regular physical exams, and seeing a physician as needed, can help to confirm or rule out any underlying or contributing health conditions. Your primary care physician may also be able to make you a referral for a sleep study and/or prescription medication for sleep aides.
Future Full of Hope Can Help:
Clients often seek support from Future Full of Hope when dealing with problems with sleep and sleep quality. As part of our work together, we’ll explore factors impacting your sleep quality, from anxiety, to trauma impact, to addiction behaviors among other conditions, to assessing emotional needs being met or unmet. We’ll also collaborate to develop a plan for your own sleep hygiene habits - your sleep hygiene plan will be customized to your needs. Then we’ll work together to implement your sustainable plan for supporting sleep hygiene and putting that plan into action. If you’re ready to start therapy with Future Full of Hope or are curious if therapy might be right for you, follow the button below to schedule a 15 minute free phone consultation with Kevin!
If you’re ready to start therapy to work on your sleep hygiene, follow the link below to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation with Kevin
AI Disclaimer: This post is original and written by Kevin Boyd of Future Full of Hope, PLLC. No AI tool was leveraged in the development of this post
