Do you try going to sleep while lying in bed with your phone or tablet? Do you have a lot of light in your room when you sleep? Do you have difficulty sleeping because there is often a lot of noise or movement from others? If so, you may be reducing your sleep quality from poor sleep hygiene.
Sleep hygiene is a term that describes good routines and practices that promote high-quality sleep. It is a method that aids many people with mild to moderate insomnia, difficulty falling or staying asleep. High-quality sleep hygiene practices include:
- Following a regular sleep schedule,
- Avoiding napping,
- Limiting physical or mental exercise near bedtime,
- Restricting blue light exposure before bedtime,
- Avoiding nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and similar stimulants before bedtime,
- Ensuring a dark, comfortable and peaceful sleep environment
If you experience any degree of insomnia, working on your sleep habits and improving your sleep hygiene are beneficial first steps. If you’re still experiencing sleeplessness, a sleep medicine doctor can provide additional treatment.
The Importance of Good Sleep Hygiene on Your Health
Getting adequate quality and quantity sleep is vital to both mental and physical health, boosting productivity and improving quality of life. From the elderly to children, everyone can enjoy health benefits from a good night’s sleep, and sleep hygiene can play a pivotal role in improving your sleep.
Developing good habits and following a healthy lifestyle is a significant part of wellness. After implementing these practices, your body will actually crave the benefits of them and want to continue these good practices.
In the same manner, a body can get accustomed to poor and harmful habits that can result in negative results. This is why it’s crucial to continue maintaining a set of healthy routines. Developing good sleep hygiene is a 100% risk-free method and a significant part of a public health strategy. It helps combat crucial issues like insomnia and sleeplessness with little to no cost impact.
Good sleep hygiene promotes sound sleep, which in turn, results in:
- Improved Cognition, thinking, and learning
- Enhanced Alertness and energy levels
- Boosted productivity
- Improved mood and feelings
- Reduced anxiety and depression
- Prevention of chronic diseases
Best Ways to Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Some tips for practicing good sleep hygiene to improve your sleep health and counteract insomnia are:
- Be consistent: Try to follow a strict sleep cycle by going to bed and getting up at the same time, even on weekends.
- Sleep-inducing Bedroom Environmental: Create a dark, quiet, and relaxing bedroom environment and adjust the room temperature to a comfortable level.
- Avoid Electronics: Avoid using electronic gadgets like smartphones, TVs, and computers a few hours before bedtime. The blue light stimulates your brain and natural chemicals that contribute to your circadian rhythm, your natural sleep-wake cycle.
- Look for Healthy Food Intake: Avoid having large meals and immediately going to bed, similarly refrain from having caffeine, alcohol, and similar unhealthy foods before bedtime.
- Relax Mind and Body: Staying physically active during the day and relaxing your mind and muscles before bedtime is an effective practice to facilitate you fall asleep more easily.
Improve Your Sleep and Sleep Habits with the Help of Gingras Sleep Medicine
Dr. Gingras, a well-known sleep medicine doctor, has been a leader in sleep research, exclusively focusing on sleep medicine. She is a nationally acknowledged double board-certified doctor specializing in sleep medicine, providing thorough examinations and cutting-edge medications and therapies for a broad range of sleep disorders like:
- Insomnia,
- Sleep apnea,
- Parasomnias, etc.
Gingras Sleep Medicine helps patients of all ages by providing individually tailored treatment plans, including sleep hygiene. Schedule your consultation with Dr. Gingras by visiting our website or calling the office at (704)944-0562.