Improving your sleep hygiene is essential for you to get a good night’s sleep. But what is sleep hygiene and how can it help you? We explore below.
What’s sleep hygiene?
Sleep hygiene refers to a range of habits that can help you sleep well1.
If you are having sleeping difficulties, these could be caused by bad sleep habits that have been reinforced over the years.
Introducing some new habits can help you to improve your sleep hygiene and get the restorative sleep you need.
How can I help improve my sleep hygiene?
Realising you’re not getting the sleep you need can be difficult, especially when there’s a few year-long habits to break.
You may see success in your sleep quality if you make a few adjustments to your lifestyle and your attitude.
Some ways you can improve your sleep hygiene include:
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Improving your sleeping environment2. This can be done by making sure your room is restful, comfortable and at the right temperature.
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Make sure your room is dark enough2. If you need to sleep during the day, such as those on shift work, you can introduce an eyemask which blocks out the dark.
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Reduce the amount of noise you can hear3. If you’re unable to control the amount of noise while you’re trying to go to sleep, such as loud neighbours or barking dogs, ear plugs can be useful for creating a restful environment.
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Take time to relax3. If you’ve had a particularly stressful day, or are a chronic bedtime worrier, try scheduling “worry time” where you worry for around half an hour and then let your mind relax. Other people listen to meditations or soothing music while trying to fall asleep.
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Try not to eat heavy meals before bed. Finishing dinner hours before you go to sleep means that you’re reducing your chances of your sleep being disturbed.
If you’re not getting the sleep you need, browse our range of Sleep Solution products today that includes eye masks, ear plugs and more to help you get restful sleep.
References
1Better Health Victoria, Sleep Hygiene, accessed 10 March 2023
2Government of Western Australia, Sleep Hygiene, accessed 10 March 2023
3Healthy WA, Sleeping Difficulties, accessed 10 March 2023