How often do you wake up in the morning feeling groggy and unrefreshed? What if a few small changes to your habits could let you wake up feeling refreshed and full of energy again. This is where practicing good sleep hygiene comes in.
Sleep hygiene is the practice of changing behavioral and environmental factors to facilitate better sleep quality and onset. Poor sleep has numerous negative impacts on overall health leading to conditions such as; cardiovascular disease, poor mental health, diabetes and obesity. Practicing good sleep hygiene can not only improve sleep quality but reduce the risk of developing chronic health conditions.
How to practice good sleep hygiene.
- Aim 7-9 hours of sleep each night
- Aim to go to sleep at the same time each night
- Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption
- Create a cool, dark and quiet sleeping environment
- Limit afternoon napping
- Limit electronic usage (such as phones) before attempting to sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Practice mindfulness techniques such as meditation
Practicing good sleep hygiene is only one aspect of your overall health, however, it is extremely important. By making a few small changes in your routine, you will have a better night’s sleep and more energetic and productive days.
If you have tried these tips and still experience excessive daytime sleepiness it is important to speak to your GP. They may refer you to complete a sleep study to rule out any other potential sleep related conditions such as; obstructive sleep apnoea, insomnia and sleep movement disorders.
References
Baranwal, N., Yu, P. K., & Siegel, N. S. (2023). Sleep physiology, pathophysiology, and sleep hygiene. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 77, 59–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2023.02.005
Barrett, B., Harden, C. M., Brown, R. L., Coe, C. L., & Irwin, M. R. (2020). Mindfulness meditation and exercise both improve sleep quality: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial of community dwelling adults. Sleep Health, 6(6), 804–813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2020.04.003
De Pasquale, C., Kazzi, M. E., Sutherland, K., Shriane, A. E., Vincent, G. E., Cistulli, P. A., & Bin, Y. S. (2024). Sleep hygiene – What do we mean? A bibliographic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 75, 101930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2024.101930
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Sleep Medicine and Research; Colten HR, Altevogt BM, editors. Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2006. 3, Extent and Health Consequences of Chronic Sleep Loss and Sleep Disorders. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/
Scott, H., Naik, G., Lechat, B., Manners, J., Fitton, J., Nguyen, D. P., Hudson, A. L., Reynolds, A. C., Sweetman, A., Escourrou, P., Catcheside, P., & Eckert, D. J. (2023). Are we getting enough sleep? Frequent irregular sleep found in an analysis of over 11 million nights of objective in-home sleep data. Sleep Health, 10(1), 91–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2023.10.016
