I can name absolutely zero people that practice sleep hygiene aside from myself, and even then, I still have struggles and don’t follow through sometimes. So, what on earth is sleep hygiene? No, it doesn’t have anything to do with being clean while you’re in bed (although that isn’t a bad thing especially for those evening shower people, you know who you are! I’m a morning shower person – don’t kill me!), but it specifically means developing an evening routine to prepare your mind and body for a vital component to your day. Especially since we just moved the clocks forward, this is the perfect opportunity to do some good for yourself!
When we sleep, this is the time for our bodies to heal. You aren’t putting any extra demands on your heart, brain, and organs (unless you eat right before bed, you won’t have the most restful sleep) and tissues are able to repair from the days demands. To maximize the potential for a truly beneficial sleep, you need to start practicing sleep hygiene. I always emphasize and stress that every body is different, so you’ll need to determine what step-by-step process you prefer to follow through, and don’t make it too complicated, because then you’ll resent it and still won’t have a good sleep.
For a period of time I was having difficulties sleeping and staying asleep, particularly because I was becoming way too sensitive to light out of the blue. My husband would wake up at 6:00am for a swim and pull the curtains a bit to shine some light, but holy cow it felt like my retina’s burnt to a crisp through my eyelids, and it wasn’t even that bright! Months earlier I mentioned to him that I wanted a sleep mask to block out any bit of light until my alarm would wake me up. And boy, did he deliver.
One day a package came in the mail addressed to me (always with a pun in the personal message), and there I saw my new sleep mask. It’s from the company FRĒSHMĒ, purchased from Amazon.ca, (check out the direct link in the source below) and it’s 100% handmade, cotton, and completely light blocking. It’s so incredibly soft, and the shape and size allows optimal coverage so light isn’t able to peek through from your nose or any region of your face that prevents a flush ‘seal’ so to speak.
Another plus with this mask is that it has a large Velcro strip, so you can really adjust it to your liking, and have it stay put. Even the soft pressure on your eyes is so soothing, and similar to weighted blankets, it can ease any anxiety symptoms you may be having. I used this for our trip to the Philippines (because how else would I kill time for a 16 hour direct flight?), and surprisingly had a restful sleep (with the help of Gravol) without any interruptions of in-service lighting or the window shades being up.
Try some of these tips to experiment with, to develop your own personal sleep hygiene routine!
– Light daily exercise, even a light walk around a block or two is a great anaerobic activity
– Avoid any caffeine later in the day, and limit the amount
– Avoid eating late in the evening as you’ve just stimulated your digestive system when it should be resting.
– Avoid electronic usage for at least an hour before your bedtime. Some people swear by falling asleep watching tv, but unless it shuts off automatically, the sound will eventually wake you up thus disrupting your sleep cycle. It’s even worse if you fall asleep on the couch and you’ll have to drag your ass to the bedroom (I’ve been there, done that at 2am too many times)
– Changing your phone settings to turn on ‘Night Shift’ in the early evening and morning is something I swear by. By applying this, the warmer the colour of your screen, the less blue light emitted, so it helps reduce the strain on your eyes in darker settings. It doesn’t impact the brightness level, and you can alter how warm of a colour you prefer.
– Turn on your Do Not Disturb, you don’t need to get a notification from Instagram or a spam email for Erectile Dysfunction or you’ve been inherited $5,000,000 from a Nigerian prince.
– Skincare routine and teeth brushing should be done after dinner, that way you can trick yourself into not snacking late in the evening because who wants to brush their teeth a second time AND alter how their food tastes? (like orange juice after brushing in the morning – the worst!)
– The temperature you sleep in is extremely important! Cooler temps aid in a restful sleep (ideally 15.5 – 19.4 degrees C)
– The environment you sleep in is 100% customizable. Having an essential oil diffuser with calming scents such as Frankincense, Lavender, Ylang-Ylang and Cedarwood are great oils to choose from. Some people can actually feel more awake with Lavender, as a heads up)
– If you’re sensitive to noise, try wax ear plugs, they’re more comfortable and form to your unique ear canal.
– Try the sleep mask I recommend for light-blocking.
– If you need assistance to feel sleepy, try to meditate, read, or journal.
– Waking up is super important too! Look for a gentle alarm to ease into alertness to start your day calmly, and not abruptly with a loud, assaulting sound.
Hope you find benefits to any of these recommendations, let me know how they work for you!
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