Tips to improve sleep hygiene

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Nutrition, Health & Wellness

Improve sleep hygiene Here are some tips to keep up your sleep hygiene. Do not go to bed unless you are sleepy. Read some magazine, hear to light music or read a book; do something relaxing and do not worry about getting sleep.
Doing something ritualistic like hearing to music, reading, warm bath or light snacks daily can help in getting sleep. Even after 15 minutes if you are not asleep, get out of the bed and do something relaxing. Better use living room for all other daytime activities and reserve bedroom only for going to sleep.

Do not watch TV, read, write, eat, play games or do telephonic conversations from the bed. Wake up early in the morning and adjust your going to bed accordingly to have a good eight hours sleep. Avoid naps in the afternoon and if at all you require to take one, do not sleep for more than an hour and have the nap in the early afternoon.

Do not take alcoholic beverages at least 4 to 5 hours before your bedtime. Do not take heavy meals in the evening and do not go to bed with an empty stomach.
Sleeping child
Do not exercise vigorously in the evening and give a gap of at least four hours before bedtime. Do not smoke before bedtime and also do not take anything stimulating like coffee or tea before bedtime.

What is sleep hygiene?

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Nutrition, Health & Wellness

What is sleep hygiene? Sleep hygiene can be defined as the methods of controlling "environmental and personal behavioural factors interfering with sleep". These factors can both precede sleep and occur during sleep.
Sleep hygiene is the practice of following methods to ensure effective and restful sleep for promoting daytime alertness and agility. Following sleep hygiene also helps in avoiding certain kind of sleep disorders as well as treating them. The tell-tale sign of poor sleep hygiene is daytime sleepiness and trouble getting sleep.

Sleep hygiene involves timing of sleep, timing of food and quality of food, exercise, mental conditioning, following routines, sleep environment etc. Sleep hygiene is also about re-education of people with sleep problems by advising them about how to avoid sleep deprivation, how to respond to unwanted awakenings from sleep if these occur and about adaptive, homeostatic and circadian aspects of sleep control. The cure to poor sleep hygiene lies in optimizing your nightly rest with pre-sleep schedule, a routine sleep schedule and bedtime habits.