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About sleep hygiene
Sleep hygiene is a term used to describe healthy habits, behaviours, lifestyle and environmental factors that you can practice through the day to help you get a good night’s sleep.
Why it is important
Sleep is essential for physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
Sleep gives your body and mind time to recharge. After a good night’s sleep, you are likely to wake up feeling alert and refreshed.
Good quality sleep does the following:
- Supports your immune system and helps your body fight infections.
- Improves your levels of concentration to assist with learning and forming memories.
- Allows for clear judgment, decision making and problem solving.
- Assists with emotional regulation and improving mood.
- Helps maintain weight and lowers the risk of developing chronic health conditions such as insomnia, diabetes and heart disease.
- Provides more energy for the day, including during an extended period of reduced activity.
Signs of poor sleep hygiene
Many adults have trouble sleeping. Signs of poor sleep hygiene and/or poor quality of sleep include:
- difficulty falling asleep
- waking up several times throughout the night
- lying awake for long periods
- waking up feeling tired
- reduced concentration during the day
- mood changes, low mood or irritability.
How to improve your sleep hygiene
You can improve your sleep hygiene and quality of sleep by making some lifestyle changes and developing a suitable routine during the day and before you go to bed. Try to be consistent when you make these lifestyle changes and develop your sleep routine.
Everyone is different, so find what works best for you to help you get the best quality sleep every night.
Use the drop-down menu for guidance on suggested lifestyle changes:
- Sleep environment
- Sleep routine
- Food, drink and smoking
- Physical activity.
Sleep environment
- Ensure your room temperature is suitable for sleep. If it is too warm or too cold you may wake up during the night.
- Try to keep your room as dark and quiet as possible when sleeping. You may find it helps to use an eye mask and/or ear plugs.
- Avoid using your bedroom to work, listen to music or watch TV. This avoids over stimulation and allows your brain to recognise your bed as a place to sleep.
Sleep routine
- Aim to sleep and wake up at the same time every day (including weekends). This helps to regulate your body clock and develop a regular sleeping and waking cycle.
- When possible, try to get exposure to natural light during the day. This will help with your ‘day to night’ routine and your ‘sleep to wake’ cycle
- Try not taking naps during the day as this can affect your sleep overnight. If you need to nap during the day, limit naps to 30 minutes and avoid sleeping past late afternoon or early evening.
- 60 to 90 minutes before aiming to sleep, try to wind down by completing relaxing tasks such as reading a book, meditating or having a warm bath.
- Avoid using your mobile phone, tablet, computer or watching TV before going to bed. Using a screen can cause your brain to remain stimulated and make it difficult for you to wind down and fall asleep.
- If you are not able to fall asleep within 30 minutes of getting into bed, get up and move about, and complete a relaxing task for short time. When you feel sleepy, return to bed and try again.
Food, drink and smoking
- Ensure you eat a well balanced diet and stay hydrated during the day. Going to bed too full or hungry can make it difficult to fall asleep or remain asleep.
- It can take up to 6 hours for the effects of caffeine to wear off, so avoid stimulants such as caffeine (tea, coffee) after 2pm.
- Nicotine is also a stimulant, so avoid smoking for 2 to 3 hours before going to bed. This also applies to vapes which include nicotine.
- Alcohol can make you feel drowsy, but it will not improve the quality of your sleep. Alcohol is also a diuretic (it increases urine production). This means drinking alcohol can disrupt your sleep by requiring you to get up during the night to use the toilet.
Do not use alcohol as an aid to help you fall asleep.
Physical activity
- Keeping active and exercising throughout the day can help you get a good night’s sleep.
- Aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity per week. (Vigorous intensity activity includes running, skipping, heavy weight training or circuits). You can spread your activity over 4 to 5 days or evenly during the week.
- If you opt for vigorous exercise, finish exercising 2 to 3 hours before you go to bed so your body has a chance to wind down. Instead, choose a relaxing form of exercise, like yoga, just before bed.
Contact information
Kingston Hospital Physiotherapy Outpatients