Is having a sleep routine really that important?
Sleep over the past few months has been a problem for many of us. Our current climate of dealing with a devastating pandemic has left many of us desperate for peaceful sleep. How important is sleep to our health anyway? Not only is sleep important, it is imperative to your overall wellness. Think about this, if you leave your car running all night long you will have some serious problems in the morning right? Well, the same is true for your entire body. During night time sleep, your body gets rest, powers down, and rejuvenates for the next day. Therapists and psychiatrists think sleep is so important that it is one of the initial questions we ask any new patient….“tell me about your sleep pattern”.
So, what is a good sleep pattern/sleep hygiene? Your sleep hygiene or sleep routine should be as consistent as any of your other daily hygiene routines. The following are tips for creating a healthy sleep hygiene.
TIP 1: Pick your time wisely!
Identify a time when you need to be in bed, that would allow you to get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep per night. If you have young children, 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep can sometimes be a laughable concept, but in general, pick your time with the sheer hope and wish of sleep.
TIP 2: Stop all electronic usage at your designated “sleep time”.
Do not look at your phone after you have decided it is time to get into bed. This means, even if you use your phone as an alarm clock, turn the face of your phone over and the notifications off. Keep in mind, if you do not put your phone face down, the constant lights/sounds from your phone will signal your brain to be awake and alert which is why it is necessary to turn it over.
TIP 3: Attention T.V. USERS- if you use a TV show to fall asleep use your sleep timer and pick the right show.
Make sure to keep the volume of the television show so low that you need to almost close your eyes to hear it better and use the sleep timer on your remote, so that the light and sound from the TV eventually turns off during the night. Keep in mind, if the TV remains on all night long, the light from the TV can keep you in and out of your sleep rhythm during the night and keep you from getting the deep sleep that you need.
Also, pick your shows wisely!! Re-runs are great when you are trying to fall asleep because you don’t really care about the endings. Don’t over-invest in a new show at bedtime, you will get too excited and you will stay up way too late.
TIP 4: If you typically have problems falling asleep, try reading.
Reading can tire the eyes and send signals for sleep to the brain. Pick a book that is not too exciting and not too suspenseful, but something that you will want to read for a bit and that will allow those eyes to get nice and tired.
TIP 5: Keep your routine the same every night.
If you use a sound machine, use it every night. If you read, read every night in bed. If you use the TV, use it every night. Your brain will begin to use these events/things as reminders that it is time to prepare for sleep and will begin to send signals for your whole body to power down and ready for sleep.
Of course there are so many other things that can interrupt even the best of routines, such as: stress, grief, children, fear, hormonal changes, mood changes, anxiety attacks and so many additional reasons why sleep can become challenging, but for those who are seeking to learn to create a simple plan for more conducive sleep patterns, these tips may help.
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