What do we mean by “Sleep Hygiene”?
Sleep hygiene encompasses habits which you adapt in order to sleep at a proper time so as to get an adequate amount of sleep. Sleep environment is correlated with sleep hygiene and it’s time to bring about changes in your sleep environment, if your sleep hygiene is getting affected; i.e. you’re not getting enough sleep or not able to maintain a proper sleep cycle. In this blog, we’ll shortly explain why it is important to make an improvement to your sleep environment and how this little change can lead to better sleep at night which simultaneously promotes a better overall health.
How can you correct your sleep hygiene?
Do you often find yourself having trouble to fall asleep on time? This is because your sleep hygiene is not how it should be. But this doesn’t imply that sleep hygiene is the reason behind insomnia. Insomnia is a distinct disease with different symptoms and causes. Only a messy bed and surrounding is not the prime reason which is letting you stay awake, sometimes it’s the sleep environment. All you require is a clean and peaceful sleep environment, which can help you achieve sleep faster.
To maintain quality sleep hygiene, it is required to follow few steps that can help you maintain proper sleep and curb your level of anxiety or depression while going to sleep. If you don’t find yourself feeling at peace in bedroom, go take a walk or take a cold bath. You can even start reading a novel or listen to some soothing music that relaxes you to sleep. This way, your mind connects your bed with sleep rather than prompting you to stay awake. If you suffer from OCD of any level, make sure you clear the clutter. A clean bed plays a big role in making you go back to bed fast. It goes like this- cleaning your room or bed makes you tired and your drowsiness accelerates in this process, thereby making you fall asleep faster. If you choose to stick to your screen or decide binge watching right at the time of sleeping, you’re totally interrupting your brain’s process of making you ready for sleep.
How your well-being is associated with good sleep?
It is not something very difficult to grab that one can only sleep when he/she is at peace and is relaxed. Our bodies have a typical set of hormonal response to anything that triggers physical changes. Responding to danger and threats sometimes lead to heightened blood pressure, palpitation and alertness. After all, who can sleep amidst dangerous circumstances; but if anyone can, they don’t tend to live long. Therefore, there is an absolute requirement of a peaceful environment that can encourage one to sleep. It is inbuilt in our mind and brain that a feeling of safety and security alone, can lead us fall asleep faster than anything. Hence, a bedroom or a surrounding which feels completely safe, comfortable and at peace asks your inner self to get to sleep as you feel totally at rest and all-relaxed.
