Your body requires sleep as this process provides vital rest. However,sometimes you may go sleep early at night and sleep the appropriate hours,yet you do not feel fresh in the morning. This may be caused by a number of hidden issues. Let’s take a look at what makes for good sleep hygiene.

During the Night

• There should be an appropriate bedroom set-up for sleep. For example, the bedroom should be designated solely for sleeping.  Your bedroom should not have a television set, as the light from the television can stop the nervous system from providing melatonin, a key factor in inducing sleep. This can lead to falling asleep late in the night. Furthermore, you may fall asleep whilst watching the television whilst leaving it on, forgetting to turn it off. The light and sounds from the television can disturb the quality of sleep, and prevent what may otherwise be a deeper sleep.
• Assign yourself appropriate, scheduled, sleeping and waking hours.Make an attempt to keep this consistent, regardless of it being a weekday or weekend.
• It is recommended to avoid drinking a large amount of water prior to going to bed. This can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night to relieve yourself, and upon your return to bed you may find it difficult to go back to sleep. Similarly, avoid eating copious amounts of food as this can cause stomach issues that may prevent sleep.
• The bedroom environment should be dark, quiet, and of an appropriate temperature (not too warm, not too cool).
• If you find yourself truly unable to sleep after lights out (20-30 minutes),do not try to force yourself, perhaps try getting out of bed, move around in an ambience that is not bright or loud for approximately 15-20 minutes then go back to bed.
• Whilst avoiding going to sleep too late, you should also try to not sleep too early as you may be unable to fall asleep. Even if you do fall asleep it may cause you to wake up in the middle of the night, unable to go back to sleep.
• If you are unable to sleep, avoid looking at the clock. Doing so can cause worry and make you unable to sleep even more than before.

During the Day

• Avoid drinking coffee or caffeinated beverages. This is especially important for individuals who experience difficulty sleeping. If caffeine is necessary, try to not consume it after noon.
• Avoid alcohol and smoking cigarettes, especially when it is close to bed time.
• Get an appropriate amount of exercise consistently. However, physical activity should be done 3-5 hours before sleep as the increased body heat can have an affect on your ability to fall asleep.
• Furthermore, ensure that there is adequate light/sunlight at your work place during the morning whilst adjusting brightness according to the time of day i.e. dim the lights when it is nearing bed time. The use of yellow/orange lights as opposed to white bright lights 3-4 hours prior to sleep can help to make the sleeping process a lot easier, especially for individuals with an existing sleep disorder.

Note

• If the aforementioned advice causes you to fall asleep too early adjustments may need to be to ensure you get an appropriate amount of quality sleep.
• Consult our specialists for diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders.