How Is Your Sleep? Tired? Embrace Better Sleep Habits

Mar 31

Working on Better Sleep Habits

With technology today, it is so easy to stay connected – 24 hours a day. And this can affect our sleep hygiene.

The Sleep Foundation states that “strong sleep hygiene means having both a bedroom environment and daily routines that promote consistent, uninterrupted sleep.”

There is often a debate on how much sleep is optimal; like many things in life, this is individual. But the average optimal sleep time is 7-9 hours sleep for adults (research says it varies by individual and age).

Have Better Sleep Habits

According to the Sleep Foundation, there are several things we can do to have better sleep:

Be Consistent: Have a consistent sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
Relax: Plan the last hour before bed as relaxation time and wind down in your favorite way: a warm bath, music, or a short yoga routine.
Exercise regularly – but not in the 2-3 hours before bedtime. People tend to feel tired and skip exercise, but regular exercise helps with more restful sleep. A friend of mine, who needed sleep medication, stopped using it when she started exercising regularly.
Stop eating in the evening: Finish eating your evening meal 2-3 hours before bedtime. Eating in the evening or before bed is not related to weight gain but helps with restful sleep. If there is food in your stomach when you go to bed, it may lead to restless sleep.
Stop consuming caffeine near bedtime. How caffeine affects people varies; some people must stop drinking caffeine by noon, while others could still drink it at 4:00 – 5:00 pm. You know yourself best, so make sure you control your caffeine intake appropriately.
Have your nightcap early: As much as many people like having a nightcap, consuming alcohol before bedtime. Consume your alcoholic drink with your evening meal or shortly after. While alcohol can help people go to sleep, it is not restful sleep.
It is a BEDROOM, not an office: Ensure your bedroom is for bedroom activities only (sleep and sex)! So, no laptop, tablet, phone, or TV.
- If you need to use your bedroom as an office, have regular office work hours, and don’t have 24-hour convenience store hours or even 7-11 hours, but an 8-5 workday.
If you must have your phone in your room because you use it as an alarm – maybe try an old-school alarm clock again?
- Suppose you must have your phone in your room because of family issues (older parents, teens) or you’re a business owner with employees who need to reach you at all hours. You may be a healthcare provider on-call or want it there in case of emergency, then keep the phone nearby, but only use it for the in-case-of-emergency need your claiming. Checking social media or email or playing the latest game app isn’t an emergency.