The last 5 years or so, it seems like the term ‘sleep hygiene’ has really grown more and more. But what even is it? In short, sleep hygiene is how healthy our sleep is – looking at both quantity and quality.
Generally speaking, we know certain things about sleep – 7-8 hours sleep, no phones, etc. But there are so many other things that we really don’t discuss as often which really do make the world of difference. And this is where we will discuss them so you can really revolutionise your sleep and tackle your days. Even though you will see 5 different aspects of sleep hygiene, try and focus on one thing so it doesn’t overwhelm you.
1. Electronics
So the research suggests to refrain from using electronics 2 hours before bed. This includes, TV’s, Phones, tablets, etc. Literally anything with a screen. But let’s be practical, 2 hours may be too much. If you sleep at 9pm, then 7pm really should be the cut off which is when you usually want to wind down after your hectic day at work. Start by putting your electronics away 1 hour before bed. That’s it. Just 1 hour before bed. And this leads us onto the next one!
2. Reflection
Some people use the word ‘meditation’ but that can be so ‘juju’ to some people. So let’s use the term, reflection. Have a sit down with yourself for 5 mins. This could be while going for a walk, sitting outside or just sitting in the ‘quiet zone’ of your house. Ask yourself these 3 questions:
a. What did I do really well today?
b. What could I have improved today?
c. What will I focus on tomorrow?
We actually don’t sit and reflect enough, and this is such a small but pivotal thing that we can do to revolutionise our life and sleep.
3. Bed is for the 2 S’s
The body is so interesting. I want to take you down memory lane. You know when you drive around your old workplace. maybe it’s the same street or area that you previously used to work at. You get the same feeling you used to get when you worked there (either happy or sad). That is because the body/brain has associated this place to how you used to feel. The body does this with the bedroom. Try and only use the bed for sleep and sex. No more, no less. Let’s say you read on the bed, do work on the bed, sleep on the bed and have sex there also. When you jump onto the bed, the brain thinks, “what is Billy going to do now? Is it sleep, work or sex?” The body gets confused. So make it easy for the brain, allocate only sleep and sex to the bed. So, the brain has less to think about.
4. Routine
Just like the body loves routine, in terms of what it does, but it also loves routine with when it does it – sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time. For shift workers, you have it pretty tough! But for everyone else, try and have the same sleeping time and the same waking time (as much as possible) as this really helps the body get into a routine. I cant harp on how much the body loves routine, we are creatures of habit after all.
5. Deep breathing
Man this is crazy! Deep breathing is revolutionary and we don’t even realise it! Search ‘deep breathing’ in our blog search bar to get the specifics to deep breathing but honestly it’s great. In short, deep breathing is a great way to wind down the brain and body. Especially before bed.
That’s all I really want to focus on this week. I don’t want to bombard you with a million things to think about. Just remember to pick one thing and really get that mastered. Once you’ve mastered one thing, move onto the next thing.
