![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sleep hygiene
Mar. 21st, 2015 11:29 am1. Sleep only as much as you need to feel refreshed during the following day.
2. Get up at the same time each day, seven days a week. (Sleep regularity helps set your biological clock.)
3. Exercise regularly. (But not later than 3 hours before bedtime.)
4. Make sure your bedroom is comfortable and free from light and noise.
5. Make sure your bedroom is at a comfortable temperature during the night.
6. Eat regular meals and do not go to bed hungry. (Hunger may disturb sleep.)
7. Avoid excessive liquids during the evening. (Causes trips to the bathroom.)
8. Cut down on all caffeine products.
9. Avoid alcohol, especially in the evening.
10. Smoking may disturb sleep. (Nicotine is a stimulant.)
11. Don't take your problems to bed. (Plan some time earlier in the evening to think about your problems or next day's schedule.)
12. Do not try to fall asleep.
13. Put the clock under the bed or turn it so that you can't see it. (Don't be a clock-watcher.)
14. Avoid naps.
Train yourself that bed is for sleeping. Go to bed only when you're tired, and get up when you wake up. If you can't sleep, get up. If you're awake for 15 to 20 minutes, you're not fall asleep, so get out of bed. Go to another room to read, or do some other pleasant, light activity.
While in bed, you should not do things that you do when you are awake, such as reading, watching TV, eating, studying or using the phone. By doing these things, you actually train yourself to stay awake in bed. Sexual activity is the only exception to this rule. The most important thing to avoid is trying to sleep, because it blocks you from getting the sleep that you want.
Try not to use a clock to decide when to get out of bed because looking at the clocks can lead to worry about not sleeping, which will make it harder to fall asleep. Do not dwell on this decision. If it is obvious to you that you will not immediately fall asleep, get up. The most important thing you can do to improve your sleep is to stop trying harder.
Set a fixed bedtime and rise-time. Do not go to bed earlier, but do not go to bed if you are not sleepy. Have a buffer zone before bedtime, where you engage in enjoyable but not stimulating activities. Do not spend time on the computer, because the blue/white spectrum of the internet tends to trick your body into thinking it's daytime.
2. Get up at the same time each day, seven days a week. (Sleep regularity helps set your biological clock.)
3. Exercise regularly. (But not later than 3 hours before bedtime.)
4. Make sure your bedroom is comfortable and free from light and noise.
5. Make sure your bedroom is at a comfortable temperature during the night.
6. Eat regular meals and do not go to bed hungry. (Hunger may disturb sleep.)
7. Avoid excessive liquids during the evening. (Causes trips to the bathroom.)
8. Cut down on all caffeine products.
9. Avoid alcohol, especially in the evening.
10. Smoking may disturb sleep. (Nicotine is a stimulant.)
11. Don't take your problems to bed. (Plan some time earlier in the evening to think about your problems or next day's schedule.)
12. Do not try to fall asleep.
13. Put the clock under the bed or turn it so that you can't see it. (Don't be a clock-watcher.)
14. Avoid naps.
Train yourself that bed is for sleeping. Go to bed only when you're tired, and get up when you wake up. If you can't sleep, get up. If you're awake for 15 to 20 minutes, you're not fall asleep, so get out of bed. Go to another room to read, or do some other pleasant, light activity.
While in bed, you should not do things that you do when you are awake, such as reading, watching TV, eating, studying or using the phone. By doing these things, you actually train yourself to stay awake in bed. Sexual activity is the only exception to this rule. The most important thing to avoid is trying to sleep, because it blocks you from getting the sleep that you want.
Try not to use a clock to decide when to get out of bed because looking at the clocks can lead to worry about not sleeping, which will make it harder to fall asleep. Do not dwell on this decision. If it is obvious to you that you will not immediately fall asleep, get up. The most important thing you can do to improve your sleep is to stop trying harder.
Set a fixed bedtime and rise-time. Do not go to bed earlier, but do not go to bed if you are not sleepy. Have a buffer zone before bedtime, where you engage in enjoyable but not stimulating activities. Do not spend time on the computer, because the blue/white spectrum of the internet tends to trick your body into thinking it's daytime.
