Sleep hygiene refers to habits and practices that promote consistent, restful sleep. Good sleep hygiene is important for mental and physical health.
Getting enough high-quality sleep ensures we wake up feeling energized and productive. On the flip side, poor sleep diminishes focus, decision-making abilities, and emotional regulation. Developing healthy sleep habits leads to improved concentration, mood, and ability to handle stress.
Some key tips for good sleep hygiene include:
- Consistency - Try to wake up and go to sleep at consistent times, even on weekends. This helps regulate the body's internal clock.
- Environment - Create a relaxing bedroom environment by keeping it cool, dark and quiet. Consider using blackout curtains, a fan, or white noise machine.
- Wind down routine - Spend 30-60 minutes unwinding before bed by dimming lights, avoiding screens, having a light snack, reading or meditating. This signals rest.
- Avoid stimulants - Don't consume caffeine, nicotine or alcohol close to bedtime. While alcohol may make you drowsy at first, it actually disrupts sleep later on.
- Exercise - Being physically active during the day, especially morning workouts, deepens sleep. However, vigorous activity too close to bed can have the opposite effect.
- Electronics - Power down TVs, phones, tablets and computers at least one hour before bedtime. The blue light they emit suppresses melatonin production.
If you continue having sleep issues despite good sleep hygiene, consult your doctor or a sleep specialist. They can check for underlying conditions like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or hormone imbalances.
The experts at
Renewal Hormone Center offer cutting-edge lab testing to assess hormone, thyroid, adrenal and metabolic function. Optimizing these systems often resolves stubborn insomnia and sleep disruption. Convenient telehealth consultations make it easy to get to the root cause of sleep problems. Renewal Hormone Center' individualized treatment plans help patients achieve deep, restorative sleep for improved health and vitality.