Tips for better Sleep Hygiene

SLEEP ENVIRONMENT

Start improving your sleep by setting up your room in a way that will enhance your ability to get a restful sleep. 

Spend a few minutes TODAY getting your room cleaned up, clutter free and make it as dark as possible. Remove anything from your bedroom that isn’t absolutely necessary. Keep it neat and tidy so you feel relaxed when you go to bed.  Your bedroom should only be used for sleep/sex and not for work, watching TV etc.  Remove any of these distractions from your room.  Make sure that you keep your sleep environment in this new state- it’s the foundation of your new healthy sleep habits!

• Make your bedroom pitch black:
  • add black‐out blinds, put electrical tape over electronics, put tin foil on your windows if you have no other options!
• Keep your room cool and well ventilated
  • crack the window, use a quiet fan
• Reduce excess noise in your sleep environment; some people sleep well with white noise to block out external sounds.
  • Use earplugs if you need complete silence.

If you have anxiety around sleep, move your alarm clock, watch or cellphone out of reach so you can’t check during the night.

Have a supportive bed with a level of softness to suit your needs. Replace your bed and pillow as needed. If you can’t remember the last time you bought a new mattress, it may be time for a new one!

SET A ROUTINE

We often think that it doesn’t matter when we go to bed or wake up, however, our bodies work best when we follow a consistent rhythm where we go to bed and wake up around the same time each day. By following a routine on a regular basis, you allow your body to balance the hormones that provide cues that it’s time to wake up or time to go to sleep. Start TODAY by planning a set bedtime and wake time that fit your schedule.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, regardless of how you sleep.  If you MUST “catch up on sleep” add up to a maximum of one hour on either end of your sleep time, no more than 2 days/week.

PREPARING FOR SLEEP

• 6 hours prior to bed eliminate caffeine (coffee/tea/chocolate/pop) 
• 1-2 hours before bed
  • reduce your light exposure, TV/computer/phone use 
  • avoid alcohol. (While alcohol often makes falling asleep easier, it affects sleep quality and may cause you to wake during the night.)
• Create a buffer zone
  • Do something calming 60‐90minutes prior to sleep
    • Ideas: yoga, gentle stretching, reading with dim light, prayer, meditation, listening to calming music, guided relaxation, taking a hot bath
• Go to sleep ONLY when drowsy/tired
  • If you are not able to fall asleep within 15‐20 minutes of going to bed, or upon 

waking at night; get out of bed and do a calming activity until you are sleepy.

Avoid large or heavy meals too close to bed; some people sleep better with some carbohydrate prior to bed to avoid sugar crashes overnight, others do better with protein, others do best eating nothing close to bedtime.

SLEEP POSITION

Find a comfortable position to sleep in that supports a neutral spine.  You may need to use extra pillows for legs and knees.  

YOUR NEW ROUTINE

Now that you know the basics for creating good sleep hygiene practices, it’s time to put them into practice! 

Take a piece of paper, or download our Sleep Basics Questionaire,  and make a note of your new sleep routine, including:

• Your new bedtime
• Your new wakeup time
• The changes you need to make in your room.
• Your new evening routing.

Try these new habits for 6 weeks and feel the benefits!