Healthy Sleep Habits

Healthy sleep habits are an essential part of healthy living and your behaviours can have a major impact on your sleep. Certain actions throughout the day, particularly prior to bedtime, can make it difficult to sleep, stay asleep and get a beneficial and restful sleep. What you eat and drink, certain medications, daily schedules and how you spend your evenings can all have a significant impact quality of sleep. Keeping a sleep diary is a useful tool to assist with understanding how your nightly routine can affect your sleep.

Sleep hygiene is a series of habits that can assist with improving your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

Try the following sleep tips for a better night sleep and better sleep hygiene:

• Even on weekends and vacations, get up and go to bed at the same time every day. The body’s internal clock and hormones control sleepiness and wakefulness, these work better if there is a regular sleep routine.

• Ensure that your bedtime enables you to get at least 7 hours sleep

• Go to bed when you are sleepy

• The hour before bed should be used to wind down

• Keep your bedroom a quiet and relaxing environment. Keep warm and comfortable, pillows  cooler room temperature.

• Avoid working in your bedroom.

• If after 20 minutes in bed you haven’t fallen asleep, get out of bed

• Limit light exposure during the evening

• Keep meals to a minimum

• Avoid heavy meals prior to bedtime, eat light healthy snacks

• Avoid caffeine and/or alcohol consumption before bedtime

• Reduce fluid intake prior to bedtime

• Get regular exercise and exercise earlier in the day if possible to enable your body to wind down.