OK. First off, what is sleep hygiene?
Sleep hygiene is a variety of different practices and habits that are necessary to have good nighttime sleep quality and full daytime alertness (National Sleep Foundation).
You've probably heard a lot of the basic advice, so here is some information that may be new:
1. Weighted blankets.
The science is not totally there to prove that these work (they are hard to do research on, long story!) but many folks have used these to help children with autism or adults with anxiety. The weight is hoped to be a calming sensory experience, and is also rooted in "deep touch pressure", or DTP. Feel free to consult your physician too for their thoughts, weighted blankets should not be used for a person with sleep apnea and some other conditions.
2. Develop a routine that puts your mind at ease.
Developing a healthy and self-care or rest focused unwinding pattern can be comforting and help you essentially tell yourself it's time to go to bed. Part of this includes doing everything you can to make your sleeping space feel like a place where your guard can be down, and you can really unwind. This might involve diffusing calming essential oils, keeping your room tidy, or removing other potential stressors.
3. Reduce Sleep Distractions.
Try scaling back or stopping the use of coffee and alcohol 3 after 3pm. Reading in bed is fun, but really work to limit your time in your bed and bedroom to intimacy and sleep. This helps train your brain to think bed = sleep. Read, watch TV, talk on the phone, etc in your living room as much as possible. Consider placing your phone somewhere hard to reach, so that you aren't tempted to mindless scroll and cheat yourself of sleep!
4. Develop a consistent sleep schedule, to the best of your ability.
This will help your body fall into a great pattern to sleep easier, better, and have a higher quality rest. If you get off track, just hop back on - don't get discouraged. Sleeping on a consistent sleep schedule helps your body enjoy the full benefit of sleep, and can decrease your "sleep debt." While sleeping in on the weekends can be nice, and can help somewhat with sleep deprivation, keeping a consistent sleep schedule overtime can seriously help you feel rested, and "pay off" that debt!
5. Find out what REALLY prevents you from sleeping enough, or sleeping well.
Feeling anxiety when you are in bed? Have a new born child? Battling illness? Overweight? Check and think what is affecting your sleep. Many people are affected by life changes, and life stage issues. If that is you, check out my COACHING PACKAGES to attack the overarching issues!
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