This spring I hosted a movement challenge group and the participants could get bonus points with different activities. One was to list their best practices for sleep hygiene. I thought I would just include a link to my own article on the subject and was shocked to find that I had never written about this important aspect of health! I talk about it all the time with patients. Inadequate sleep is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. In addition, lack of sleep also affects our immune system. Individuals who are sleep deficient may have a harder time fighting common viruses, like a cold or the flu. With poor sleep the brain’s performance suffers. We are “foggy” and slow to react. Chronic sleep loss can impair our judgment, leading to serious accidents. In fact, being tired is one of the leading causes of fatal car crashes! Without adequate sleep, adults may experience mood swings and children may have tantrums or trouble getting along with others. Sleep deficiency is also linked to depression, suicide and risky behavior.
Could you need any more reasons to focus on improving your sleep???
How much sleep is enough?
Opinions differ, but the National Sleep Foundation (USA) suggests the right amount of sleep varies for each individual and it depends on age. Here are the ranges:
- Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
- Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
- Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
- Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours
- School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours
- Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours
- Younger adults (18-25): 7-9 hours
- Adults (26-64): 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours
There is nothing more frustrating than going to bed and not being able to fall asleep when we know we need the rest- calculating the hours remaining til it is time to get up and imagining how tired we will be the next day. If we have patterns and habits that contribute to poor sleep, it will take significant effort to change them, but it is worth it for our health!
Here are some practical tips for proper sleep hygiene.
- Have a consistent bed-time and wake-up time. Allow your body to develop this rhythm by not staying up late one night then getting to bed early the next, sleeping in some days and not others. If we have good sleep habits, we can make exceptions and have an occasional late night or lazy morning without it affecting us, but if we are trying to improve a challenged sleep routine, we need to strive for consistency. Avoid day-time naps so that you are sleepy at bed-time. Again, we can make exceptions with a “power nap” for 20 minutes if we have good sleep patterns, but long day-time naps will challenge our ability to develop a consistent pattern.
- Have a regular sleep routine. Find what works for you as you get ready for bed and follow that same routine each night. It may involve activities such as brushing teeth, changing into pjs, reading for a short period, writing in a gratitude journal, saying prayers, doing your SRI exercises(!) Your body will use the cues that sleep is coming as you consistently perform these activities each night. Unplug from technology and start this routine well before the time you aim to go to sleep, so you may wind down and be ready for sleep.
- Create an environment that will help you sleep. This means the room is dark, without the blue light of digital screens. If you read before bed on a tablet, make sure the light is set low. Keep the room as cool as you can for comfort. If possible, have the room tidy- if it feels cluttered or messy you may have a harder time relaxing. Make sure you have clean fresh air in your room. If you deal with irregular noises like a partner snoring or traffic, you might try ear plugs or some “white noise” like a fan or sound machine.
- Control Caffeine. Caffeine will decrease your ability to sleep. As we get older, our liver has an increasingly difficult time metabolizing the caffeine, so we need to make the cut-off time earlier and earlier the older we get. Alcohol, while it can make you sleepy, will ultimately cause you to wake more frequently and may also lead to insomnia.
- I know I will get resistance from some of my patients on this, but don’t sleep with pets! I see so many patients that have a poor night’s sleep that were caused by their dog/cat interrupting their sleep. If it isn’t too late, train Fifi or Fido to sleep on their own. You will both appreciate it in the long run!
- Keep the bed for sleeping. Don’t watch television or use the computer in bed. One school of thought says if you cannot fall asleep at “sleep time”, get up and go to a different room and read until you are ready to sleep, at which time you return to bed. Do not watch television or look at your phone during this period, as this will make it harder to sleep. Another option is to listen to an audiobook, which can be downloaded for free from the public library onto your phone. This shouldn’t be a story that is too exciting- perhaps choose a book that you already know. If you don’t go to sleep at the regular time, it is important to still get up at the regular time and stay awake the following day so that you can resume the sleep schedule the following night, perhaps starting the wind-down a little earlier.
- Watch your sleep posture. You should sleep on your side or your back, not your stomach! If you are on your back, you should use no pillow or a low pillow, providing a little support under your neck. If you sleep on your side, your pillow should be as wide as your shoulder so that your head is in line with your spine. Your knees should be together, not drawing one up so that you are rotated partly onto your front. You can place an extra pillow in front of you upon which you can rest your upper arm. This will help you keep your body in alignment. A pillow between your knees can help this as well. If you are traveling, bringing your own pillow(s) can help you have a more consistent sleep experience. My wife purchased a travel cervical pillow that fits into her carry-on luggage. It came with us to the UK!
- Regular exercise. Getting at least 20–30 minutes of physical activity a day can help you fall asleep at night. In addition to falling asleep more easily, being active can also decrease the number of times you wake up each night, resulting in a deeper sleep. However, it’s important to avoid vigorous exercise one to two hours before bed as it can raise your heart rate — making it more difficult to fall asleep.
- Get some morning sun! From the moment you wake up, you should expose yourself to natural light. Spending time in the morning sun can reset your circadian rhythm and tell your brain it’s time to start the day. An outdoor walk in the morning is a great way to wake up naturally and get a much needed energy boost. If you don’t have time to go for a walk, just open up the blinds or turn on the brightest lights in your home. During the dark winter months, a Sun lamp for 20 minutes can impact your serotonin and melatonin levels and help your sleep cycle, as well as reduce anxiety and improve mood.
It will take some effort and focus to improve or establish better sleep patterns, but your health is worth it!!!
Don’t let this be you:
