Considering and improving your sleep hygiene is one of the easiest ways that you can set yourself up for sleep success. It is a proven fact that people that have a better quality of sleep find themselves becoming more productive and able to carry out their day to day tasks and responsibilities far better.
Sleep hygiene, refers in part, to the practices that you undertake and implement in order to achieve ‘cleaner’ and better sleep. A few easy steps and simple practices can make a world of difference when it comes to sleep.
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Why is Sleep Hygiene Important?
Having good sleep hygiene means setting up a bedroom environment and daily routines that promote good sleep. Good sleep can look different for different people, but should generally be consistent and uninterrupted.
That means being able to keep a good sleep schedule, having a set bedtime routine that relaxes you ready for sleep and making your bedroom relaxing and disruption-free. Good sleep hygiene can also include making sure your daily routine promotes good sleep in the evenings.
Sleep hygiene will look different for different people and your sleep hygiene will suit your needs and your life. Improving your routines and habits to improve sleep hygiene can be life-changing, allowing you to sleep through the night and wake-up feeling refreshed and well rested.
Why Does Sleep Hygiene Matter?
Improving your sleep hygiene can be truly life changing. Anyone who is currently struggling with their sleep will know the massive effect sleep can have on your life.
Sleep is essential for humans to maintain optimum health and well-being. Sleep is crucial in staying healthy and energised. Researchers state that sleep is as important as regular exercise and consuming a healthy, balanced diet. There are so many benefits to a good night’s sleep it is hard to know where to begin.
How Can I Improve My Sleep Hygiene?
Good sleep hygiene is all about setting yourself up for a good night’s sleep. This could include a pre-bedtime routine, optimising your sleep schedule or introducing new daily routines that help good quality sleep come more easily.
You may also need to make an adjustment to your bedroom space to make it a relaxing environment that helps you to drift off.
Here are a few tips that might help you improve your sleep hygiene. Bear in mind that these tips are suggestions, and should not be followed rigidly for every single person. Good sleep hygiene is about understanding yourself and creating a routine that is right for your sleep.
It doesn’t matter what you do during the day and what your job role is; whether you are a VoIP phone system salesperson, a delivery driver, a chef or anything else, we all go through stressful portions of our days and weeks as part of our lives. Therefore, being able to decompress and destress, with better quality sleep is incredibly important.
Set A Good Sleep Schedule
The key to having a successful sleep schedule is setting a fixed wake up time regardless of the day of the week. Waking up at the same time every day can help your body get into a rhythm and make falling asleep at night easier.
You also need to make sleep a priority if you want to improve it, no staying up late to prioritise work or fitness or socialising. If improving your sleep is a priority you need to treat it as such. Try setting a target for how long you want to sleep and tracking your sleep to ensure you are allowing yourself enough time.
Set A Night Time Routine
Setting up a night time routine that you stick to can help signal your brain that it’s time for sleep. Make sure that your routine is consistent, do the same things every night to reinforce that it is bedtime.
Allow at least 30 minutes for winding down and try to include an activity that helps you to feel relaxed, you might like to meditate, journal, listen to soft music or do some stretching.
Whatever helps you to feel relaxed. Make sure that you’re not using screens or technology of any kind an hour before your bedtime. The blue light that screens give off can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
Optimise Your Bedroom Space
A key element of sleep hygiene is making sure that your bedroom is a relaxing and distraction free zone. There are a few things you can do to improve your bedroom space and optimise at the sleep.
Firstly, ensure that you have invested in a good mattress and pillow that will allow you to sleep comfortably and soundly. Investing in bedding is also a good choice as it will help you to sleep better and keep you warm or ventilated during the night. Think about purchasing a goose down duvet or a duck down pillow to help you sleep that extra bit better at night.
Make your room as dark as possible and invest in blackout curtains if you need to as this will help improve the quality of your sleep. It’s also wise to keep your bedroom slightly cooler than you might like the rest of your house, as a cooler bedroom temperature will help you drift off more easily.