What is sleep hygiene? Sleep hygiene is a collection of habits and practices that promote good, quality sleep. Our full sleep hygiene checklist includes the main categories most people focus on for good sleep hygiene: environment, electronics and devices, diet, and daytime activities. Below is our simplified ‘Quick Sleep Hygiene Checklist’ to help jump start your journey to better sleep habits.
A Special Note on Your Internal Clock:
A pacemaker-like structure in the brain controls the circadian rhythm. “Circadian” translates to “about a day,” and “circadian rhythm” is often referred to as the internal clock. The circadian rhythm regulates the day-to-day ups and downs of bodily patterns, such as body temperature, blood pressure, and the release of hormonal agents. A typical person’s circadian rhythm makes them want sleep the most between midnight and sunrise.
There are a few factors that affect your circadian rhythm. One factor is light. Your exposure to light at the appropriate time aids in maintaining your circadian rhythm and keep it on the right time schedule. So, natural light, or sunlight, helps your brain to differentiate between daylight and nighttime. Stepping outside during the day to get some sunlight can help keep your sleep cycle on track.
The Quick Sleep Hygiene Checklist
The sound in your sleep environment should be quiet or be a steady white noise. Your sleep environment should be calm, cool, serene, and dark like a cave. Avoid bright lights. You should have a comfortable surface to sleep on. A good mattress and pillow can help with this. Make adjustments to properly support your body. Make sure you have clean sheets and that your bedroom is clean to avoid any odors. Have proper ventilation. You can use your AC, crack a window open, or use an air purifier for fresh air.
Stop using tablets, smartphones, or other devices to fall asleep. Avoid doing things like playing an action-packed game before bedtime. Try to use no electronics a minimum of 60 minutes before bedtime (this is called digital sleep hygiene). Try to track how much time you spend on digital devices to help you reduce your exposure to blue light. Blue light can still suppress melatonin (the hormone that causes drowsiness) three to four hours before your bedtime.
Don’t go to bed hungry or too full. Avoid big meals before bedtime. Also, don’t eat the wrong foods at the wrong times that can cause indigestion. Avoid late night binging or snacking. At most, have a light snack like a glass of milk or a slice of cheese (if you are not lactose intolerant). Avoid having too much fluid before bed, so that you don’t wake up because you have to go to the bathroom. Cut off alcohol intake at least three hours before bedtime.
You should have a regular sleep schedule with consistent bedtimes and wake up times, even on the weekends. Try to keep your bedtimes and wake up times within 20 minutes of the same time regularly. Consistency in your food intake also helps. Do meal timing and planning so that you don’t eat too close to bedtime or eat the wrong foods that can cause indigestion around that time.
Create a consistent bedtime routine that relaxes you and helps to prepare you for sleep (this is called management by ritual). Your bedtime routine should give you enough time to wind down; it should be about one hour before bedtime. For your routine, do relaxing activities like taking a warm bath (this can cause drowsiness due to a change in body temperature).
Should You Keep a Sleep Log?
Keeping a sleep log can help you figure out the root cause of your sleep problems. Keeping a sleep log will help you track your sleep habits and may reveal certain patterns that could be useful when talking to your doctor. Most sleep problems can be resolved with behavioral changes and good sleep hygiene. However, if this is not the case for you, a sleep log could help your doctor determine if you need a sleep study (a diagnostic process that determines if you have a sleep disorder).
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