Sleep Hygiene Top Tips

The Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI) https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/ provides outstanding psychological resources both for clinicians and those looking to help themselves or others. I would highly recommend having a look through their website and bookmarking for future reference as their information is not only very complete, but refreshingly concise!

Their fact sheet on Sleep Hygiene is outstanding. Please see the following link to read the full article.

https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/cci/mental%20health%20professionals/sleep/sleep%20-%20information%20sheets/sleep%20information%20sheet%20-%2004%20-%20sleep%20hygiene.pdf

To summarise, the article is a guide to 'Sleep Hygiene' that is, the things you can do to provide yourself with the best possible chance of a good nights rest and lists 15 top tips. 

1. Keep to regular waking and sleeping times.
2. Only try to sleep when you feel tired to avoid frustrated time 'trying to sleep'. *Contradiction with point 1 noted... see point 3)
3.  If you can't get to sleep for 20 mins get up and do something relaxing/boring then go back to bed to try again, then repeat if necessary.
4. Avoid all stimulants such as caffeine for 4-6 hours before going to sleep.
5. Avoid alcohol 4-6 hours before bed the same reason.
6. Train your body to use your bed only for sleeping by using the bed only when you want to rest (not watching tv, working etc)
7. Avoid taking naps in the day. If you do need a nap make it before 3pm and less than one hour.
8. Make a 'sleep ritual' to prepare your mind/body for sleep. This could be stretching/breathing or anything that is calming in the time period before wishing to sleep.
9. Having a hot bath 1-2 hours before bed. Research shows that sleeplessness can be caused by a low body temperature, thus by raising the body temperature in a bath is can make you drowsy and more able to sleep.
10. Don't clock watch. Constantly checking the time can reinforce anxious feelings and make it harder to sleep.
11. Using a sleep diary can be helpful to track progress (though do it without checking the time constantly!)
12. Regular exercise can assist with good sleep, though strenuous activity in the 4 hours before bed is not recommended.
13. Balanced diet. Sleeping on an empty stomach can be distracting, as can sleeping on a full stomach. A light snack can work well, as can warm milk that is a natural sleep enhancer.
14. Ensure your environment is right. A good temperature, quiet, dark and with adequate, comfortable space.
15. If you have a bad night sleep do not alter daily activities as this can promote insomnia. 

*I wonder if these tips will work on my 5 year old daughter??

A better night sleep with mindfulness

• Mindfulness training could be more effective than modern techniques for how to sleep better, new research reveals.
• The findings could point the way to community-based training for sleep problems — especially for vulnerable seniors.
• Learning how to sleep better is particularly important as poor sleep is connected with so many psychological and physical problems.
• Around 50% of people over 55 report some sort of sleep problems.

Learning how to sleep better

The study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, randomly assigned 49 people to two different groups (Black et al., 2015).

All the people in the study were older individuals who were having moderate problems sleeping. One group took a six-week ‘sleep hygiene’ course, a relatively modern technique tested in many studies (more on this here: How To Fall Asleep Fast). The other group received a six-week course in mindfulness training.
In the words of mindfulness expert, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn:

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”

The results showed that those in the mindfulness group showed greater improvements in their sleep quality in comparison to those who had taken the sleep hygiene course. The mindfulness group also had lower levels of depression and they felt less tired.

Dr Adam P. Spira, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, writing about the study in the same journal, said:

“…effective nonpharmacological interventions that are both ‘scalable’ and ‘community accessible’ are needed to improve disturbed sleep and prevent clinical levels of insomnia.

This is imperative given links between insomnia and poor health outcomes, risks of sleep medication use and the limited availability of health care professionals trained in effective nondrug treatments such as behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia.

http://www.spring.org.uk/2015/02/how-to-sleep-better-ancient-technique-beats-modern-therapy.php