Clinic Story of the Month – Healthy Sleep

Make Sleep a Priority!

Humans, like all animals, need sleep, along with food, water and oxygen, to survive. For humans, sleep is a vital indicator of overall health and well-being. We spend up to 1/3 of our lives asleep, and the overall state of our “sleep health” remains an essential question throughout our lifespan. Most of us know that getting a good night’s sleep is important, but few of us actually make those eight hours or so between the sheets a priority. For many of us with sleep debt, we’ve forgotten what “being really, truly rested” feels like.

Follow these steps to improve your sleep:

To pave the way for better sleep, follow these healthy sleep tips:

1. Stick to a sleep schedule of the same bedtime and wake up time, even on the weekends.

2. Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual. A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety.

3. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid naps, especially in the afternoon. Power napping may help you get through the day, but if you find that you can’t fall asleep at bedtime, eliminating short catnaps may help.

4. Exercise daily. Vigorous exercise is best, but even light exercise is better than no activity. Exercise at any time of day, but not at the expense of your sleep.

5. Evaluate your room. Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep. Your bedroom should be cool – between 60 and 67 degrees. Your bedroom should also be free from any noise that can disturb your sleep. Finally, your bedroom should be free from any light. Consider using blackout curtains, eye shades, ear plugs, “white noise” machines, humidifiers, fans and other devices.

6. Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows. Make sure your mattress is comfortable and supportive. The one you have been using for years may have exceeded its life expectancy – about 9 or 10 years for most good quality mattresses. By having comfortable pillows and making the room more attractive, it will be more inviting for sleep.

7. Beware of hidden sleep stealers, like alcohol and caffeine.

8. Turn off electronics before bed.

 

Most importantly, make sleep a priority. You must schedule sleep like any other daily activity, so put it on your “to-do list” and cross it off every night. But don’t make it the thing you do after everything else is done – stop doing other things so you get the sleep you need!