For A Healthier Sleep: Sleep Hygiene

Sleep is one of the main elements that keep people fit in daily life. Therefore, getting a healthy sleep every night is very important to feel energetic in daily routine and to get things done. If you haven't gotten your sleep at night, no matter how much caffeine you consume during the day, it cannot compensate for the sleep of the night before, on the contrary, it negatively affects the sleep you will get on that night (McKay, Wood, & Brantley, 2019).
            A healthy sleep comes with proper sleep habits if you don't have a disorder that might be affecting this condition. However, for a behavior to become a habit, it is necessary to continue this particular behavior regularly for a while, so the behaviors you will apply for a healthy sleep pattern should also be continued. Sleep hygiene is an intervention program in which appropriate sleep habits are presented as a whole. You can use sleep hygiene recommendations for a healthy sleep pattern, which is one of the main pillars of a healthy lifestyle, especially if you have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep (McKay, Wood, & Brantley, 2019).
            Sleep hygiene is designed for clients in whom factors affecting sleep such as sleeping habits, places or consumption habits create difficulties in initiating or maintaining sleep (Posner & Gehrman, 2011).
In general, sleep hygiene is considered a benign intervention rather than a method that cannot be used due to the harm it may cause to the patient, but some specific rules of sleep hygiene may not be applied in certain clients (Posner & Gehrman, 2011). For example, it may not be possible to engage in physical activities for clients who have some physical discomfort or limitations. In this case, you can create a program for yourself by eliminating the sleep hygiene suggestions that are not suitable for you.
            In fact, there are many medications used to treat insomnia, but they tend to be effective only in the short term, and their continued use can lead to addiction. You should definitely talk to your healthcare provider about which method is right for you. As an important part of insomnia treatment, sleep hygiene methods that can be used alone or in combination with other strategies such as medication or cognitive therapy are as follows.
1) Regularity. One of the best ways to train your body for better sleep is to go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each day.
 
2) Sleeping When You're Sleepy. Instead of spending too much time awake in bed, try to sleep only when you feel sleepy.
 
3) Trying Again. If you haven't been able to sleep for 20 minutes or more, get up and do something calming or boring until you feel sleepy again, then go back to bed and try.
 
4) Avoiding Caffeine and Nicotine. Try to avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, some medicines etc.) or nicotine (cigarettes) consumption at least 4-6 hours before bedtime.
 
 
5) Avoiding Alcohol. Try to avoid consuming alcohol at least 4-6 hours before bedtime.
 
6) Bed is for Sleeping. Be careful not to use your bed for any other purpose than sleeping. Thus, your body will associate the mattress with sleep. Using the bed as a place for watching TV, eating, reading, working, studying or other non-sleep things will prevent your body from learning the bed-sleep connection.
 
7) Avoiding Sleep During the Day. Avoiding naps during the day is the best way to make sure you are tired at the actual bedtime.
 
8) Sleep Customs / Rituals. You can develop your own rituals to remind your body that it's time to sleep. Some people find it helpful to do relaxation exercises or breathing exercises for 15 minutes each night before going to bed, or to consume a cup of caffeine-free tea.
9) Bath Time. Taking a warm bath 1-2 hours before bedtime can be beneficial as it will raise your body temperature at first and make you feel sleepy as your body temperature drops again.
 
10) Not Checking the Clock. Many people who struggle with sleep tend to check the clock too much. Checking the clock frequently at night can wake you up even more and reinforce negative thoughts about insomnia.
 
11) Using a Sleep Diary. Creating a worksheet on the duration, quality, and various details of sleep might be a good idea to be able to focus on the facts to see how your sleep cycle is going instead of making assumptions about your sleep.
12) Exercising. Regular exercise is a good idea to aid your sleep, but it is necessary to try to avoid strenuous exercise in the 4 hours before bedtime.
 
13) Eating Correctly. A healthy and balanced diet helps you to sleep well, but timing of the meal is also important. Eating a heavy meal just before going to bed can interrupt sleep.
 
14) Proper Place. It is very important that your bed and bedroom to be quiet and comfortable to sleep. A cool room with enough blankets to stay warm would be fine. It may also be a good idea to have curtains or eye masks to block the light early in the morning, and earplugs if there is noise outside.
 
15) Keeping the Daytime Routine the Same. Even if you have a bad night sleep and you feel tired, it is important to try to keep your daytime activities as planned, i.e. not to avoid doing your scheduled activities because you feel tired.
 
References
McKay, M., Wood, J. C., & Brantley, J. (2019). The dialectical behavior therapy skills workbook: Practical DBT exercises for learning mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. New Harbinger Publications.
Posner, D., & Gehrman, P. R. (2011). Sleep hygiene. In Behavioral treatments for sleep disorders (pp. 31-43). Academic Press.
 
Research Assistant Dilara Nihal Çarıkçı
İstanbul Gelisim University Psychology Department