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6 Sleep Hygiene Tips
Sleep Hygiene Tips
Not having enough sleep can be absolutely debilitating, both emotionally and physically. So in this article we’re going to look at six sleep hygiene tips.
My first tip is to put down smartphones, put down the tablets, get off the laptop about two hours before going to sleep. Put all of that down because these devices emit a blue light and the blue light has an impact in terms of our melatonin production.
Melatonin is a sleep hormone and what actually happens is that it slowly starts to increase as it gets dark outside. As it gets later on in the night, our melatonin production increases. But if we’re using these devices, the artificial blue light suppresses melatonin production. So not only is it difficult to get to sleep, but it’s also difficult to stay asleep.
If you want to have a good night’s sleep, the first thing you can do is put down the devices.
Tip number two is expose yourself to natural light on a regular basis. Now natural light helps us to regulate that sleep-wake cycle and it also helps in the production of melatonin.
It might be time to take a walk in the park during your lunch break or after work, but you are really enjoying that natural light and taking it as much as possible.
What does a healthy sleep-wake cycle look like?
During the evening what will happen is our melatonin levels will increase while our body temperature will decrease. We’re then going to be less alert and we are more likely to welcome sleep.
In morning, our melatonin will decrease, our body temperature will increase and our cortisol level will increase and we are more likely to feel energized and welcome the day ahead.
Tip number three is establish a regular bedtime routine and also a relaxing nighttime routine. What we mean by that is going to bed at the same time every day, even if you’re not at work, so that’s weekends as well, and also getting up at the same time every morning, even if you don’t need to get up.
Also when it comes to night time, as per tip one, putting the devices down, but also establishing a relaxing routine. It might be having a soak in the bath, reading a relaxing book and it could be listening to a light piece of music or doing some gentle stretching exercises.
It’s not reading emails at 11 o’clock or 12 o’clock at night and and it’s not having a difficult conversation with your partner or your friend. Have a think about that night time routine and adopt a night time routine that works for you.
Tip number four is to avoid stimulants before bedtime. By stimulants I mean tea and coffee. Anything that contains caffeine and also alcohol and nicotine. Alcohol can help us get to sleep, but it’s not very good at helping us to stay asleep. It can be quite disruptive, we can have a disturbed sleep by drinking alcohol.
And also things such as caffeine can have that physiological effect on the body, just be quite stimulating, which is exactly what we don’t want before we go to bed. What we might do is replace that with a hot chocolate or a green tea or chamomile tea or beverage of your choice that is not alcoholic and it hasn’t got caffeine in it.
Tip number five is a simple one: use the bedroom for sleep and intimacy only. No work, laptops, etc, in the bedroom. Sleep and intimacy only. Sleep in a comfortable bed with silver-infused antibacterial sheets.
Tip number six is if you’ve tried all of the five tips that I’ve mentioned in this article and you’re still struggling with insomnia then what I would suggest is you go to see your doctor and check out whether there’s any organic reason for that.
If you’ve heard from your doctor and your doctor said that you’re fine then it may be that the insomnia is caused by stress, depression or overthinking and in which case I’d strongly advise that you see a therapist so that you can address the underlying causes of the insomnia.
Sebastian was born and raised in the busy city of Abbottabad. As a journalist, Saad Mushtaq has contributed to many online publications including the PAK Today and the Huffing Post. In regards to academics, Saad Mushtaq earned a degree in business from the Abbottabad UST, Havelian. Saad Mushtaq follows the money and covers all aspects of emerging tech here at The Hear Up.Thanks