Sleep hygiene

Good sleep habits, also called sleep hygiene, can help you beat insomnia, be more productive and boost long term mental and physical health.

• Maintain consistency in sleep and wake up timings. Try not to take naps during the day, because they may make it difficult to fall asleep at night.
• Don’t use phones, e-books or any screens for at least an hour before bed. Their light can make it harder to fall asleep. The neurochemical activation because of the light can decrease sleep quality and quantity.
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can keep you from falling asleep. Alcohol can make you wake up in the middle of the night and mess up sleep quality.
• Get regular exercise but try not to work out close to bedtime. Exercise close to sleep time increases body temperature and makes it hard to fall asleep. Experts suggest exercising at least 2-4 hours before bed.
• Dinner should be 2-3 hours before bedtime. This ensures that the digestive system is adequately calm and is not sending wake signals to the brain
• Make your bedroom comfortable. It should be dark, quiet, and on the cooler side. Sleeping masks, earplugs, white noise machines have been successfully used to achieve this.
• Follow a routine to relax before bed. Read a book, listen to music, or take a bath.
• Don’t use your bed for anything other than sleep and sex.
• If you can't fall asleep and aren’t drowsy, get up and do something calming, like reading until you feel sleepy. Do not pick up a screen.
• If you tend to lie awake and worry about things, make a to-do list before you go to bed. This may help you put your concerns aside for the night. Keep a pen and notebook near you so you can write things down here instead of looking for device notes. Keep a clock handy so you don’t need to look at your phone for time.

Good sleep hygiene goes a long way but if quality and quantity of sleep still feels inadequate then you are most welcome to call Somniawise.

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