Sleep Hygiene Tips
Lately I’ve been talking to lots of people with sleep concerns. While going through their Health History forms I’ve noticed many people are having trouble turning their brains off before bed or simple things like waking up nightly to pee. I put together a few easy tips we can all do to improve our sleep hygiene.
Downtime in iPhone
It may come with the latest software update (not sure when it was implemented) but you can easily set it up through Settings or just search it on your phone. It allows you to essentially lock your phone after a certain time and it keep it locked until 30 minutes after you wake up. I have found this to be SO useful. Avoiding my phone is huge for me at night but also in the mornings.
Stop eating at least 2 hours before you head to bed
Your food needs time to properly digest and this is the suggested time frame.
Don’t drink tons of water right before bed
Sounds simple enough right? Don’t chug a ton of water right before bed or you will most likely wake up in the night to pee. Hydrate throughout the day and try to stop drinking tons an hour before bed if you have issues with waking up at night. See if anything changes.
Keep paper and a pen next to your bed
This one has hit home for a lot of people with sleep anxiety. Racing thoughts, ideas or checklists for the next day keep a lot of people from falling asleep right away. Write them down!!! I can’t stress enough how much writing down inner thoughts can help with stress or anxiety. Getting your thoughts on paper gets it out of your head and also, you won’t be worried about forgetting something in the morning. Just make sure to avoid your phone and use an actual pen and paper. Don’t want that blue light waking you back up!
Try stretching for a few minutes before bed
This will force your body to loosen up. So many of us go through our days holding tension in our bodies. I notice this a lot in my jaw, neck and face personally. Stretching releases the tension and can be a cue for our bodies that it’s time to wind down and relax.
Meditation
Sounds intimidating if you’ve never done it. Or done it like twice and thought it wasn’t for you. If you make this a 5 minute daily practice, it can really be a game changer. It truly can calm me down so much and relax my mind and body. I do it before bed each night for a few minutes to clear my mind.
Some apps to consider for guided meditation- Calm, Headspace, Insight Timer, Healthy Minds (love this one), 10% Happier, Aura
One last note- sleep is not for when you’re dead!! We NEED 8 hours. Yes, I’m sure some people will say oh no I can totally function on 5 but in reality your body needs the 8 hours of rest to recharge and work the best it can. Let’s stop packing so much into our schedules where sleep is the first thing to go. It should be a top priority so that you can be a better, happier human when you’re awake. :)