Sleep Hygiene: The Impact It Has On Sleep
Have you ever heard of sleep hygiene? Probably not, but when you search up things like “how to get good sleep”, all those tips that pop up such as not drinking caffeine before going to bed are part of good sleep hygiene! Just like oral hygiene is meant to keep your teeth in best shape, sleep hygiene is meant to get you the best sleep possible. Sleep hygiene is super important, and it’s the little things that can make big impacts! Strong sleep hygiene incorporates having a good physical environment, and also a daily routine that promotes consistent, uninterrupted sleep.
Without good sleep hygiene you can’t get the deep, healthy sleep you’ve always wanted. In our prior article “Exploring the Secrets of Sleep for Ultimate Rewards”, we talked about the incredible benefits quality sleep can give you, as well as the detrimental effects that lack of quality sleep can have. No matter what age, race, or gender, everyone needs deep quality sleep and sleep hygiene can play a big role in achieving this.
What really is sleep hygiene?
Sleep hygiene is really just having good habits and routines that relate to your nighttime slumber. There is lots of research that backs up how having good sleep habits can provide solutions to any short-term or long-term sleep difficulties.
Sleep Hygiene Tip 1: Follow a sleep schedule
Just like how a daily schedule can help you keep your day on track, a sleep schedule can do the same thing for your sleep. It is very important to always go to sleep around the same time. The brain has something called a circadian rhythm which is your 24 hour clock that your body follows when you are awake and asleep. The circadian rhythm is in control of when to release certain hormones such as melatonin during a certain time to allow you to go to sleep. If you constantly fluctuate the times of your sleep, your body won’t know when to release these hormones to fall asleep. Making sure to go to sleep around the same time, even on weekends, is very important to basically allow your body to know when to start making you tired for sleep.
Keep up that circadian rhythm!
Go to sleep and wake up at the same time daily to help you get the best sleep possible.
Sleep Hygiene Tip 2: Your Bed = Your Sleep Sanctuary
Try not to use your bed for anything else than sleep. Your brain is magnificent in associating different objects, emotions and actions. If you are constantly awake, watching, eating or playing video games in bed your brain will now associate the bed with those actions. If you only use the bed for sleep, your brain will now associate the two together, being “classically conditioned” to sleep once in bed.
Sleep Hygiene Tip 3: Avoid caffeine, naps and light before sleep
Avoid any caffeine at least 4-6 hours before bed. Caffeine has a “half-life” (half of the caffeine being gone from the body) of about 5 hours. This means that 5 hours after you have consumed caffeine only half of it is gone. On the other hand try not to consume caffeine right after waking up, but around 45-90 minutes after, when cortisol levels have decreased. Cortisol is a stress hormone and drinking caffeine while cortisol levels are high would be too stimulating.
Also, try not to take long naps. Although naps aren’t bad, if they are too long or too late they can affect your body's circadian rhythm. If you really feel a nap is needed, try not to take a nap before 3pm and try to keep it under 30 minutes.
Just like coffee, light can keep you up all night. Making sure to turn off all devices at least 30 minutes before bed is very important. This can be very tough in the current society revolving around technology but this is a perfect time to try new things and relax! As stated the circadian rhythm works off light and darkness, so if you are constantly looking at the light from your electronics, then your biological clock won’t know when to start the release of melatonin (it will believe it is still daytime, and push back this release).
Sleep Hygiene Tip 4: Keep it below 70 degrees Fahrenheit
Making sure to sleep at the right temperature is also important. Having a lower temperature has been shown to be helpful for insomnia patients, and also creates better sleep among the general population. Your brain drops 1 to 2 degrees before sleep, and your body needs to as well. Sleeping at around 65 - 68 degrees Fahrenheit increases sleep quality and sleep quantity compared to a higher temperature. If your bedroom and environment are too hot then you can become restless and uncomfortable. Make sure not to go below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, as this will be harmful rather than helpful.
Speaking of temperature, if you have trouble falling asleep, taking a warm shower or bath will help. This is because when your core temperature is warm, your body’s regulation system will lower the temperature and this helps you wind down for sleep. Since we sleep 1 to 2 degrees below our normal core temperature, dropping it before bed will help trick the body into thinking you are nearing sleep.
Sleep Hygiene Tip 5: Get natural sunlight upon waking
As stated before, your body works off a biological clock, the circadian rhythm. This clock is impacted by light and darkness, so after waking up in the morning it is very important to get natural sunlight to ensure you feel rested. This light allows your body to stop the release of melatonin (a hormone that causes sleepiness) before going into a part of your eye called the retina. This light also makes it so that there is an increase of cortisol (a stress hormone) which will allow you to wake up quicker and more effectively. It does this in a natural way that doesn’t cause heavy stress.
Sleep Hygiene Tip 6. Develop and follow a sleep routine
Lastly, try to keep a sleep routine/ritual. This will allow you to relax, and not have to think too much before you go to bed. Also, this will allow you to find what’s most relaxing for you and what works best for you before going to bed. This can be meditation, reading a book, listening to calming music and so much more.
Works Cited:
Marshall, Lisa. “Get Morning Light, Sleep Better at Night.” WebMD, 23 Mar. 2022, www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/morning-light-better-sleep.
Okamoto-Mizuno, Kazue, and Koh Mizuno. “Effects of Thermal Environment on Sleep and Circadian Rhythm.” Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 31 May 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3427038/.
Perry, Elizabeth. “The Best Time to Drink Coffee and Why.” BetterUp, 12 June 2023, www.betterup.com/blog/best-time-to-drink-coffee
“Sleep Information Sheet - 04 - Sleep Hygiene New - Department of Health.” Centre for Clinical Interventions, 24 Apr. 2008,
Suni, Eric. “Technology in the Bedroom.” Edited by Abhinav Singh, Sleep Foundation, 15 Dec. 2022, www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment/technology-in-the-bedroom.
Suni, Eric. “What Is Sleep Hygiene?” Edited by Nilong Vyas, Sleep Foundation, 23 June 2023, www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene.
Walker, Matthew. “Get The Nighttime Chills.” Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, Scribner, New York, NY, 2017, pp. 266–267.
www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/CCI/Mental-Health-Professionals/Sleep/Sleep---Information-Sheets/Sleep-Information-Sheet---04---Sleep-Hygiene.pdf.