Insomnia and other sleep disorders can be debilitating. The effects can also be dangerous. Tired driving is as dangerous as drunk driving, and many of us are guilty of doing it from time to time. Excessive
drowsiness from lack of sleep can also negatively affect decision-making, your ability to focus, find your words, recall memories, and even make good choices about the foods you’re eating (which, in turn, can affect your sleep, creating a vicious cycle). To that end, even short-term insomnia can really disrupt your daily life and overall health and wellness. Using natural sleep aids like melatonin supplements and beneficial herbs for sleep can help, and there’s research to back up their
efficacy over standard prescription drugs and with far fewer negative side effects. The Sleep Foundation defines sleep hygiene as good habits that put you in the best position to sleep well every single night
[6]. While certain habits around sleep are almost always helpful, personalized strategies can tailor to shift work, mental health challenges, and other special circumstances. Great sleep hygiene gets you mentally and physically ready for bed each night and supports a good night’s sleep throughout the evening. Lifestyle habits for healthy
sleep hygiene include: Let’s dive a little bit deeper into each of these to help you figure out where your sleep hygiene could use some tweaking. Setting a consistent sleep-wake cycle, in which you rise and sleep at the same time every morning, is critical to healthy, good-quality sleep.
That’s because it helps your body reset its own circadian rhythm (body clock) to help you naturally sleep and rise. If you can avoid overnighters or shift work, do that. It may help align your sleep pattern with the sun’s rise and set. Creating this sort of consistent bedtime and wake time can be a big challenge, so try making the shift gradual. If your goal is to get eight hours of sleep, and you have to wake up every morning at 7:00 am, you want to eventually be asleep by 11:00 pm.
However, if your body is currently used to going to bed at 1:00 am, start your routine for bed at 12:30 am at first. Then move it up to 12 am, then 11:30 pm, etc., until you’re in the habit of starting your bedtime routine with enough of a buffer to have you in bed and snoozing by 11 pm. Adjusting your sleep schedule to better correspond with your sleep goals and personal life is hard if your bedtime routine is all over
the place (or non-existent). I suggest starting the process of getting ready for bed at least an hour before your bedtime goal. Ideally, you’ll work your way up to two hours. Try soaking in a bath or taking a hot shower to relax your body and mind in preparation for sleep. Dim your lights and turn off the TV to help your eyes adjust to a darker environment. Listen to relaxing music to
unwind [7]. Stop eating at least two hours before bed and skip spicy or heavy foods that could cause digestive upset in the night. Consider listening to something relaxing, like petting your dog or cat, or doing a quiet activity to allow your brain to start shutting off well before your head hits the pillow. Your bedroom should feel like your sanctuary. If you’re due for a new mattress, start doing some research. Many reputable mattress companies offer 100-day guarantees and financing options. However, mattresses can still be expensive. Just consider that you spend about one-third of your life in bed to help yourself grasp the importance of a good mattress. The temperature in your room is also important for good sleep. Research shows that keeping the thermostat at
about 60°F leads to better sleep [8]. You also want to make sure that unwanted light doesn’t wake you before you’re ready. Consider blackout curtains or eye covers in addition to placing your phone or other blinking lights in a drawer or underneath something else to block out light until you’re ready to wake. Noise control is
also important. Grab yourself some earplugs if your partner snores. It’s also fine to sleep in a different room from your loved one. Also use earplugs if you know the trash truck comes early and slams around outside, or if you have an overly excited pet that makes noises in the night. Your Screen Time and Stimulating ContentOverexposure to blue light from cell phones and TVs can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your natural melatonin production. For this reason, it’s important to start winding down from screen time early. Most smart phones now have a built-in blue light blocker to take the blue light out of your phone at a given time each evening. Use that feature and time it with sunset. Taking a step further, a systematic review and meta-analysis actually found that all forms of light can disrupt circadian rhythm, so minimizing backlit screens (screens that light up like a TV, iPad, or phone) is a great idea [9]. Turn off your TV at least two hours before bed as well. Avoiding stimulating or stressful content right before bed as well. It probably won’t help you relax to watch stories about unsolved murders or read work emails right before bed. Lastly, scrolling through social media might seem like a mind-numbing activity, but it’s addictive because it’s stimulating [10]. So if you can curb that at night, that’s ideal. Your Relaxation and ExerciseTiming is everything. Daily exercise is important for a good night’s sleep and maintaining energy levels throughout the day, especially for those with sleep apnea [11, 12, 13]. But exercising too close to bedtime can have the opposite effect [14]. Importantly, and related to the next section, exercise offers positive benefits for your gut flora, which is linked to sleep. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, cognitive behavioral skills, deep breathing, and progressive relaxation can all serve to better prepare you for bedtime [15, 16]. Your GutGut health and sleep are part of a feedback loop in which one affects the other in both directions. Taking a daily probiotic supplement is a simple place to start with improving your gut health, and eventually your sleep problems too. Multiple clinical trials have shown a correlation between improved sleep quality and probiotic usage, including clinical trials involving participants with IBS, constipation, depression, insomnia, and those in a stressful situation such as studying for medical exams [17, 18, 19, 20, 21]. A daily probiotic isn’t a replacement for a healthy diet of whole foods. If you’d like to talk with someone at our clinic about how to get your diet on track to support your gut, please reach out. Start here for more info on eating for a healthy gut. Your Breathing ProblemsBreathing issues such as sleep apnea and snoring can lead to poor sleep quality. If you have trouble breathing at night, it can also be dangerous for your health. Our clinic offers myofunctional therapy (physical therapy for the mouth). This has been shown in a number of studies to be effective in reducing daytime sleepiness, increasing sleep quality, improving low oxygen saturation, and reducing snoring [22, 23]. The Bottom Line on Melatonin and AlcoholWhile melatonin can be an effective sleep aid, combining it with alcohol can make it less effective. However, mixing melatonin and alcohol doesn’t appear to be harmful, so shouldn’t be a cause for worry if it happens every now and then. Alcohol use and abuse in general are contraindicated for good quality sleep, even if a glass or two helps you relax at the end of the day. If you do choose to drink alcohol, try not to start too late in the evening and keep it to a minimum. Melatonin is a natural hormone secreted by the pineal gland, which is sensitive to light. Practicing good sleep hygiene is a great way to encourage your body to produce its own healthy melatonin levels. Taking a melatonin supplement is a safe way to help get your body’s natural rhythms back on track and establish a beneficial and consistent sleep schedule. For a more comprehensive look at your sleep challenges or other health concerns you might be having, request a consultation at our functional medicine center. ➕ References
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