In this lesson, you will learn how to improve your sleep hygiene to promote better sleep. Sleep hygiene is defined as a range of habits that can affect your sleep. These habits usually involve factors in your sleeping environment and routine.

In short, good sleep hygiene leads to better sleep; conversely, poor sleep hygiene can prevent you from sleeping well.

Sleep Environment

A part of good sleep hygiene is making sure you have an ideal sleep environment. Based on our circadian rhythms, our bodies are meant to sleep at night. There are a few signals that tell your brain that it is night to help you become sleepy. Embracing these signals will improve your sleep hygiene.

For good sleep hygiene, you should make sure your bedroom is dark, cool, and quiet.

If you think about it in terms of evolution, early humans did not have artificial light (beyond fire). When the sun went down, melatonin was released, and we would become sleepy. Now, things are different because our environment is bright constantly. Besides light bulbs, we stare at bright screens – often late at night. This artificial light can throw off your circadian rhythm.

For this reason, it is good to stop looking at your phone or the television a few hours before bed. Turn off any bright overhead lights and put on softer, warmer lamps. When you do go to bed, make the room as dark as possible. Your brain will know that it is nighttime and initiate sleep.

If you do shift work or can’t make your room dark, a sleep mask may help.

Another environmental factor you can control to help promote sleep is temperature. Your bedroom should be cool. Keep it around 65˚F to 75˚F. Additionally, sleep with a lighter blanket and cool pajamas. Although a big comforter and two-piece flannel pajama set might sound cozy, it can make it harder for you to sleep well.

Your body temperature naturally decreases when you fall asleep. Making sure the room is cool helps with this process. If your room is boiling hot or you’re sleeping under several layers, you won’t be able to lose heat as well. This can impede your ability to sleep and keep you awake for longer.

Finally, your room should be quiet. Sounds can disturb your sleep rather easily. Our brains are wired to wake up when we hear noise as a survival tactic.

So, turn off your ringer and turn off the television before you go to bed. If you live in a noisy area (e.g., due to upstairs neighbors or loud city streets), ear plugs are a great sleep tool.

Routine

Your routine during the day affects how well you sleep at night. There are a few adjustments you can make to your routine that will improve your sleep hygiene.

Firstly, consistency is key. Your brain will know when it’s time to sleep if you go to bed and wake up at the same times every day. This can regulate your circadian rhythm and make you feel less sleepy in the morning. Also, it helps to perform the same steps before bed each night; for example, showering, brushing your teeth, and getting your pajamas on before hopping into bed. This repetition tells your brain and body that it is time for bed.

Secondly, there are certain behaviors that you should avoid at certain times. For instance, you should avoid anything overly stimulating before bed. This includes avoiding caffeine, nicotine, and exercise in the evening. We will discuss more about sleep-promoting behaviors in the last lesson.

Light can stimulate you, as it tells your circadian rhythm that it is still daytime. For this reason, make sure to turn off bright lights in the evening. When the sun goes down, it’s good to turn off all overhead lights and switch on lamps instead.

Lastly, you can use a sleep diary to keep track of how well you’re sleeping. This will help you understand what factors in your routine are helping or hurting your sleep. Keeping track of things like bedtime/wake time, how many times you wake up at night, presence of dreams, quality of sleep, caffeine intake, daily exercise, screen time, etc., can help you in perfecting your routine. There are several kinds of sleep diaries that you can find online.

Here is an example of a routine you can follow:

Morning

• 6:30 am – wake up
• 7:00 am – light cardio, preferably outside in the sunlight
• 7:30 am – healthy breakfast – small amounts of caffeine are ok in the morning

Evening

• 6:00 pm – dinner (not too heavy), avoid any caffeine
• 7:00 pm – last call for any exercise
• 8:00 pm – dim the lights, stop using any bright screens
• 9:30 pm – use the bathroom, have a warm shower, and practice relaxation techniques
• 10:00 pm – get into bed and try to sleep (make sure the sleeping environment is suitable)

Check out the Sleep Hygiene Checklist

To check that you’ve practiced good sleep hygiene, we’ve created a sleep hygiene checklist. This worksheet can help you review your sleep environment and habits each night. At the end of the checklist, you can reflect on what you can improve the following night.

Reflect 

Reflect on what sleep hygiene elements work for you. Have you tried all of the suggested habits? What is your morning and bedtime routine?

Are there any changes you can make to improve your sleep hygiene? How can you better implement these into your routine?

Having good sleep hygiene is one way to promote sleep. However, you can also train your brain to get sleepy when you go to bed through something called Stimulus Control. In the next lesson, you will learn how to do this.

Take the next quiz to move on.

References

American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2017, February 9). Health Sleep Habits. Sleep Education. http://sleepeducation.org/essentials-in-sleep/healthy-sleep-habits

Bertisch, S. (2018, November 5). No more counting sheep: Proven behaviours to help you sleep. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/no-more-counting-sheep-proven-behaviors-to-help-you-sleep-2018110515313

Harvard Medical School. (n.d.) 3 simple ways to get more restful sleep. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/3-ways-to-get-more-restful-sleep

Harvard Medical School. (n.d.). Better sleep, naturally. Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/better-sleep-naturally

Suni, E. (2020, August 14). Sleep Hygiene. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-hygiene