Sleep and Sleep Hygiene

One of the easiest ways to improve the quality and amount of sleep your getting is by improving your sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene is your daily routine that take into account your schedule, bedroom environment and pre-bed routine.

If you have a hard time falling asleep, find yourself frequently waking in the night or are constantly tired during the day this could be a sign that your sleep hygiene isn’t as good as it could be.

To improve your sleep hygiene here are a few simple changes you can make:

- Wake up at the same time every day, even if its a weekend you want to get your body into a rhythm.
- Make sleep a priority, in modern day life we have to squeeze work, exercise, studying and socialising all into 24 hours. It is important to prioritise sleep within that. A good way to prioritise sleep is to set a target bedtime and make sure you’ve completed your tasks for the day by then.
- Don’t change everything at once, now that your aware of your sleep hygiene it can be tempting to change your schedule completely. This will completely change your bodies schedule and will have more of a negative effect than a positive one. Change your schedule in small adjustments of up to an hour and gradually adjust over time.

Have a pre sleep routine that you follow every night. Half an hour to an hour before you plan on going to sleep you should think about starting your routine. Over time you body will begin to get used to your routine and expect to fall asleep.

Here are few tips to help with your routine:

- Keep it consistent. Going through your routine step by step each and every night will help reinforce that it’s time to go to sleep.
- Allow yourself time to wind down. In this time you want to do activities that calm you down and that you enjoy. For example relaxation exercises (see our breathing tip video), reading or listening to music.
- Try not to use any electronic devices, for the last hour before you go to sleep you want to avoid anything that stimulates your brain. Phones, tablets, TVs and laptops also generate blue light which has been shown to reduce melatonin production (an important chemical for sleep)
- Keep away from bright lights, similarly to blue light, bright lights reduce the production of melatonin. Try dimming your lights as part of your routine.
- Don’t lie in bed tossing and turning. If you find yourself lying in bed for longer than 20 minutes without falling asleep then get up and do something else (calming and in low light) and then try again. As tempting as it is to lie there and force yourself to sleep because you know you need to be awake early tomorrow, doing so will create an unhealthy connection with being in bed and sleeping.

Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t just about what you do on a nighttime. Having good daily habits can also set you up to sleep better. Here are some things you can be doing in the day to improve your sleep:

- Get some sunlight, many of us find ourselves working in doors all day and as a result it can be difficult to get time outside. Try and set aside some time during your day to get some fresh air. Just a 5 minute walk on your lunch break has been shown to improve sleep quality.
- Quit smoking, along with the many health issues smoking causes, nicotine in cigarettes is a stimulant and has been shown to cause a number of sleeping disorders.
- Make sure dinner time (or tea time depending on where you're from) isn’t too late. If you have a large meal too soon before bed time, your body will still be digesting. It is recommended that you eat your large meal 3 hours before you sleep. You can then eat smaller snacks before you sleep if you need to.
- Keep your bed for sleeping in, try to avoid spending too much time in bed. This allows your brain to link your bed and sleep together.

One of the most overlooked aspects of sleep hygiene is the environment that you will be surrounded by. The key things to focus on when optimising your bedroom for sleep are:

- Make sure the temperature is correct for you. A cool temperature is recommended, this will prevent you from overheating in the night.
- Have as little light as possible. Good quality curtains or blinds will prevent lights getting into your room and interrupting your sleep. If you can’t stop light getting into your room try using an eye mask.
- Reducing noise is a little bit more difficult but there are some things you can try. Earplugs are a simple way to block out the noise however many people don’t find them comfortable to sleep in. Other options include playing white noise in your room or having a fan to create some constant background noise.
- Try calming smells, if you have ever been for a therapeutic massage with us you may have noticed we had some essential oils in our diffuser. This adds to the calming atmosphere in the room. Lavender is a nice scent to try.
- Make sure the bed itself is comfortable, having a good quality mattress and pillows is essential for a good nights sleep. The other thing to consider is the bedding material. The bedding is the first thing you come into contact with when you get into bed so it’s important that it's right for you.

Follow this advice for a better night's sleep.