Better Sleep Homework

What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene includes activities a person does to ensure high-quality sleep.  I don’t have to repeat that in these trying days and with all our obligations to work, family, and community that none of us gets enough sleep.  Should you decide to make some changes, remember that you will need to give yourself 2-3 months for these changes to become a habit. Consider reading an earlier blog post to learn more about Making Small Changes .

Good sleep hygiene has many components designed to enhance your body’s natural cycle of sleep.  For a deeper explanation of the sleep cycle read my previous post.  The room where you sleep is a good starting point.  I understand many people use their bedrooms for an office, living room, and place to eat.  When multi-use cannot be avoided try creating a sitting area so that your bed is reserved for sleeping.  The temperatureture in the room is normally suggested at 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit.  Make it as cool as you can tolerate.  For most of us, a dark room is better.  Avoiding bright lights later in the day will help you fall to sleep.

During your day.

Plan to stay with a consistent sleep schedule.  As much as you can plan to get up at the same time each day and go to bed at the same time.  I can share that when I go to bed at the same time every night I am almost assured to stick with my exercise and eating plan.  Otherwise, the fatigue just makes me not want to start.  For many of you looking forward to the weekends for that extra sleep, consider giving it a try, maybe you will find you enjoy having the extra time to enjoy the morning.  

Seek out exposure to natural light early in the day.  There is nothing like getting out of bed and opening your blinds to see the sun.  You may be fortunate enough to be able to step outside for a few minutes to enjoy a bit of sunshine.  Some of us live in areas of the country that do not get much light so you may want to invest in bright light and use your wonderful imagination to picture the sunrise.  

Add Some Exercise.  If you are not currently exercising, then start with 10-15 minutes per day.  If you are exercising, then consider an increase of 15 minutes per day (up to one hour).  A recent study at Iowa State University, Archer-Eichenberger, showed that lifting weight can improve sleep.  Consider adding resistance training up to three times per week.

In the evening.

Your dinner can have a big effect on how well you sleep.  Although we often think that feeling very full makes us drowsy it can also cause discomfort and contribute to stomach upset when you lie down.  Leave plenty of time to digest your food or consider eating a smaller meal.  Your food selection may also contribute to chronic inflammation.  In Is Inflammation Making You Exhausted? Eat These Foods to Start Sleeping Better Turner makes the connections between poor sleep and inflammation and makes some food suggestions to help improve sleep.  A few of these like cherries, pineapple, and green tea may make light before bed snacks.

Of course, we all want to wind down in the evening and some of us want to be fired up to play video games.  Two beverages imbibed that can interfere with sleep are alcohol and caffeine.  If you are like me and you have trouble staying asleep at night, try limiting your alcohol intake.  General guidance is not to consume either of these within three hours of going to bed.  

Put down the screens.  The blue light from screens interferes with the production of melatonin.  Melatonin is the hormone that makes you sleepy.  Also depending on the content of the images you are viewing you may not be as relaxed at bedtime.  

When you go to lay down.

A soothing bedtime routine will help you wind down for the day.  A shower or a bit of meditation can do wonders for your relaxation.  Focus on allowing yourself to slow down and accept the end of your day.

To help you fall to sleep try Progressive Muscle Relaxation Training.   Michael Grothaus describes his experience with using the technique the military uses which is similar.  There are also several breathing techniques to explore like, 4-7-8 technique.  Holding my breath for seven seconds is challenging for me so I just breathe in and breathe out slowly for twice as long.

Better Sleep Homework

You may download a spreadsheet to track your progress.   If you have a fitness tracker, I suggest you use the tracker also.  You may also want to add columns for your sleep score and any other data you want to add.

And now the assignment.  Keep track of how you are sleeping for four days with no changes.  Then for the next seven days commit to making three changes.  I strongly suggest a consistent bedtime and wake up time be one.  

Pick the changes you want to make.

• Consistent sleep schedule.
• No screen time within 30 minutes of going to bed.
• Use a relaxation technique.  This is a good choice for people who kow they have trouble falling asleep.
• Avoid large meals three hours before bed.
• Stop drinking alcohol before bed.  
• Add meditation before bed.
• Any other change you think will help you feel more relaxed.

The worksheet will help you keep track of:

• Time you went to bed.
• Time you woke up.
• Total time sleeping.
• How well-rested do you feel?  One of 1-5 with 1 being very tired and 5 being well-rested.
• Did You fall to Sleep Quickly,  Same 1-5 scale.
• How Much Were You Awake During the Night? Same 1-5 scale.
• In the next five columns, you will answer Yes or No to what change you made.  During the five days pick three from the list or add two of your own.