Sleep Hygiene
“Beauty sleep”
“You’ll feel better in the morning”
“Que duermes con angelitos”
“잘자”
No matter what language, there’s tons of idioms about sleep, and for good reason. Sleep is incredibly important for our health and wellbeing. The link between wellbeing and sleep was so clear, it was intuitively known, even before the age of the scientific method.
With research on our side, now we know more details about how important sleep can be. For example, not getting enough sleep can significantly affect your mood. It can cause you to be irritable, more likely to be angry, and less able to deal with stress. Add to that, some research also suggests that continued poor sleep can put you at a higher risk for depression.
Then why don’t we all get our prescribed eight hours of sleep every night? With modern technology, such as artificial light, cell phones, and televisions, it feels increasingly unnatural in our society to maintain a naturally healthy sleep pattern for our bodies. One way to really understand the impact of technology on our sleep is to focus on the moments when we are without technology: If you’ve ever camped in the middle of the wilderness, you may have noticed that your body’s need for sleep seemingly changes - you go to sleep when the sun goes down, and you wake up when the sun comes up, regardless of what those hours may be.
Good news is, we don’t need to be hermits in the woods and give up all modern comforts in order to practice healthy sleep hygiene. There’s precise concrete ways we can foster healthy sleep right in our own beds.
Reduce exposure to light before bedtime.
Light, especially electronic light, confuses our bodies on what it should be doing, whether it should be alert or engaged, or sleepy and relaxed. Eliminating light before bedtime is a good way to signal to your bodies that time for productivity is over, and it’s time for rest.
Engage in some sort of moderate physical activity every day.
Moderate physical activity can help our bodies more readily engage with sleep when we are ready for bed.
Maintain ideal sleeping bedroom temperature.
This is usually around 65 degrees Fahrenheit for most people. Not everyone is the same, so your ideal sleeping temperature may vary.
Incorporate active relaxation throughout your day.
That can be anything from deep breathing, taking baths, and doing yoga. Anything you do that you find personally relaxes you, try to incorporate that into your daily routine, not just right before bed.
Go to bed and wake up around the same time every day.
This one might seem nearly impossible as our responsibilities and demands change from day to day. But it is important for our bodies to know when it will be consistently rewarded with sleep every day.
Keep your bed sacred.
Use it for sleep and sex, nothing else. This means no phones, no work, and if you’re tossing and turning at night, get up out of bed and return only when you feel ready for sleep. This is to teach your body and your brain that your bed is for sleep (and sex) and nothing else. Eventually, when you get into bed, your body will know it means it’s time to fall asleep (think Pavlov and his dogs).
Don’t drink anything caffeinated alter in the day.
Stimulants are powerful things.
Give your mind time to unwind and relax before going to bed.
And when you’re finally ready to get into bed, both your mind and your body are ready to fall asleep.
These are not easy things for us to practice, but these habits can all contribute to healthy sleeping, which we know is fundamental to our physical health, mental health, and overall wellbeing. Don’t wait until your next camping trip to reward your body with a naturally healthy sleep pattern. Try it tonight, and see how you feel!