Foundations of Good Sleep
Adopting habits such as keeping a regular schedule and limiting blue light before bedtime can improve the quality of your sleep. Do you ever lie awake in the dark wondering whether and when you will fall asleep? Or wake believing it is time to get up, only to find that it is two in the morning? If you need better sleep, it may be time to review your sleep hygiene and habits.
What is sleep hygiene?
Sleep hygiene means healthy habits that help you sleep well. It matters because quality sleep is essential for mental and physical health and for overall quality of life. What you do throughout the day – not only before bedtime – can affect how well you sleep, including your food and drink choices, schedule and evening routine.
Keep a regular sleep schedule
Try to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day, even at weekends. This strengthens the body’s sleep cycle and can make falling asleep and waking easier. A regular schedule can also reduce daytime sleepiness.
Create a calming atmosphere and routine
A relaxing bedtime routine helps you unwind and prepares the body for sleep. Repeating it regularly teaches your body to recognise that bedtime is approaching and can help you fall asleep faster. Begin around 30–60 minutes before bed. Choose anything that relaxes you, provided it does not involve blue-light-emitting devices: take a warm bath or shower; try gentle stretching or yoga; meditate for a few minutes; listen to calming music while focusing on your breathing; or read a book, preferably not on an electronic reader.
Switch off electronic devices before bed
Electronic devices such as phones emit blue light that can reduce melatonin levels and make you feel more alert, much like sunlight. Melatonin controls the sleep–wake cycle, so lower levels can make it harder to fall asleep. Blue-light devices also keep the brain alert. A phone near the bed can disturb sleep through notifications, vibration and sudden light, even when you are not fully aware of it.
Exercise regularly
Just 30 minutes of daily exercise can improve sleep quality and overall health. Exercising outdoors adds the benefit of natural light, which helps regulate the sleep cycle. Indoor exercise is also valuable. If you want to be active later in the day, choose gentle stretching or yoga.
Limit caffeine
The effects of caffeine can last for three to seven hours. An afternoon cup of coffee may therefore keep you alert far longer than you intend.
Create a sleep environment that works for you
Just 30 minutes of daily exercise can improve sleep quality and overall health. Exercising outdoors adds the benefit of natural light, which helps regulate the sleep cycle. Indoor exercise is also valuable. If you want to be active later in the day, choose gentle stretching or yoga.
Use your bed only for sleep
A comfortable bed can tempt you to read, work, make calls or watch television there. However, using the bed only for sleep strengthens the brain’s association between bed and sleep, making it easier to drift off.
Go to bed only when you are tired
If you are not tired, avoid lying in bed and tossing and turning. Do something relaxing until sleepiness arrives, then go to bed. If you have not fallen asleep after about 20 minutes, get up; frustration and stress about not sleeping can keep you awake even longer.
Manage stress before bed
Thinking about worries can prevent sleep. Write them down before bed to clear your mind, along with any stressful task list. Prioritise what must be done tomorrow and later in the week, then allow yourself to relax. Research suggests that a weighted blanket may help with anxiety and insomnia through an effect similar to deep-pressure therapy. Meditation before bed can also calm the mind.
Avoid large meals before bed
A large meal before bedtime can reduce sleep quality. Experts also recommend avoiding alcohol and nicotine, especially before bed, as both can disrupt restful sleep.
