How did you sleep last night?
How have you been sleeping since the onset of the pandemic? How much do you normally sleep? Do you feel well rested when you wake up?
Are you able to fall asleep within 30 minutes of getting into bed, and remain asleep until it’s time to wake up? Or do you find yourself tossing and turning for part of the night?
Insomnia is frustrating, especially if you have to get up early in the morning for work.
Good quality sleep is crucial to our mental and physical health.
The quality of our sleep affects our mood. When we are sleep deprived, we become more easily irritated. We might begin to experience depression and loss of interest, as well as social withdrawal. Sleep deprivation also negatively impacts our cognitive functioning, such as our concentration and memory.
As discussed in last week’s post, when we work from home, it is sometimes challenging to maintain our regular routine. It’s more tempting to push back our bedtime to get more work done, or to watch another episode of a TV series. That could confuse our brain and interrupt our sleep-wake cycle.
Today, I would like to talk more about sleep hygiene – healthy practices that help you sleep better. It involves having good habits and constructing a good sleep environment that would facilitate restful, uninterrupted sleep.
Healthy habits that promote restful sleep:
Reduce daily caffeine intake, and refrain from drinking caffeinated drinks after 3 PM
Limit/avoid screen time an hour before bedtime (e.g., using your laptop/ watching television/ scrolling on your phone)
The light emitted from your screens reduces the secretion of Melatonin in your brain. Melatonin is a hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle and prepares your body for sleep when your environment is dark
Regulate your sleep routine – try to go to bed and wake up around the same time each day
Set up a nighttime routine for winding down – it will prompt your brain that it is almost time for bed
Take a warm bath
Dim the light and light a candle
Pick up a book (not a mystery novel or thriller)
Put on body lotion/moisturizer and give yourself a gentle massage
Relaxation/meditation exercises. Headspace and Calm are both great apps with meditations/ grounding exercises for relaxation
These activities relax our body and prepare our body for sleep
Avoid naps during the day – you want to be tired before bed time
Similarly, stay physically active. It could be more difficult to fall asleep at night if you were sedentary during the day. Go for a walk, or join an online workout class
Limit the amount of time you spend in bed being awake. In other words, if you find yourself tossing and turning at night for more than 30 minutes, get out of bed. Do anything other than trying to fall asleep. Sleep is something that we can’t will our brain to do. The more we try to fall asleep, the more tension there is and the less relaxed our mind is. So, when you can’t fall asleep at night, get up, make yourself something warm to drink, read a book, or do a quick grounding exercise. Try not to use your phone or watch TV. Then try again after a little while.
Don’t check the clock when you can’t fall asleep. We all know that familiar anxiety that comes with checking the time during sleepless nights. The anxiety spikes every time we count the number of hours we have left to sleep. Turn your clock away from you. Keep your phone far away from your bed.
Build a calm and relaxing environment: focus on your five senses
Create a comfortable and relaxing environment in your bedroom - hang a calming painting, or use decorations that foster a relaxing vibe (e.g., pillows, rugs)
Keep the lighting soft - install a dimmer if you want
Use candles or an oil diffuser. Scents that facilitate relaxation and sleep include lavender, vanilla and chamomile. Different people have different preferences, so it might take you some time to explore and figure out what works best for you
Keep your room dark – use blackout blinds if you can
We have different needs in terms of how quiet we’d like our sleep environment to be. Some people prefer complete silence, while others prefer a little bit of sounds: soft jazz, natural sounds, low-fi music are all great options. It is important to figure out what's the most relaxing sounds for your sleep. Sometimes a white noise machine could be helpful for noise cancellation
Ear plugs and blindfolds are good options to help you screen out unwanted stimuli
Is the temperature in your bedroom optimal? Our body temperature tends to drop when we sleep. But some people sleep better in warm environments, whereas others sleep better in colder environments. Do you tend to sweat when you sleep? Do your feet and hands get uncomfortably cold? Adjust your thermostat - use a fan/ heater as needed. Pick the right comforter. Wear the right clothing to bed.
The amount of support from your mattress/ pillows is also important. Do you prefer a hard or a soft bed? What about your pillow? Using a weighted blanket could offer a sense of security, which helps reduce anxiety for some people
As we approach the end of daylight savings, sleep hygiene is even more important now because of the upcoming time change. Give these tips a try and let me know if they work. You can also check out this article to help you adjust to the time change.