Sleep Hygiene - ENT East Division
If you experience difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or enjoying a restful night's slumber, you're suffering from insomnia. Insomnia may last for days (transient), weeks (short-term) or months (chronic). Lifestyle changes and behavioral practices may play their part. Daytime naps may make us less tired at bedtime. Poor sleep habits may have become entrenched; we may subconsciously associate our beds with television or reading, not sleeping. Stress and bereavement may lead to difficulty falling asleep, interrupted sleep early awakenings. And in the silence of our bedrooms, the bark of a neighbor's dog or a passing siren may trouble us more than when we were younger.
- Avoid caffeine and nicotine in the afternoon (after 12 noon) and evening. Caffeine and nicotine can delay your sleep because they are stimulants.
- Exercise will “wear you out” and can help you to sleep more soundly. Exercise regularly, but do so at least three hours before bedtime. A workout to close to bedtime may actually keep you awake because your body has not had a chance to "unwind."
- If you have trouble sleeping when you go to bed, don't nap during the day, since it affects your ability to sleep at night.
- Establish a regular, relaxing bedtime routine. Take a warm bath or shower, change into pajamas (even if you sleep nude), drink a warm liquid (milk or non-caffeinated herbal tea); these will allow you to unwind and send a "signal" to your brain that it's time to sleep. Write down all tasks that you have to do tomorrow so you won’t think about them all night.
- Don't use your bed for anything other than sleep or sex. Your bed should be associated with sleep. DO NOT TRY TO FALL ASLEEP WHILE WATCHING TV; THE TELEVISION WILL ACTUALLY KEEP YOU AWAKE OR INTERRUPT YOUR SLEEP.
- If you can't go to sleep after 30 minutes, don't stay in bed tossing and turning. Get up and involve yourself in a relaxing activity, such as listening to soothing music or reading, until you feel sleepy. Remember: try to clear your mind; don't use this time to solve your daily problems, watch TV, or work on a computer.
- In general, try to build into your schedule time for seven to eight hours of sleep, and follow this routine as regularly as possible, even on the weekends. Go to bed at about the same time every night, but only when you are tired. Set the alarm clock to awaken you at about the same time every morning including weekends and regardless of the amount of sleep you have had. If you have a poor night's sleep, don't linger in bed or over sleep the next day. If you awaken before it is time to rise, get out of bed and start your day. By establishing a regular wake-up time, you help solidify the biological rhythms that establish your periods of peak efficiency during the 24-hour day.
- Cover the alarm clock with a towel so that you can't see what time it is. This prevents you from watching the time and becoming anxious about missed sleep. If you are afraid you won't awaken, set two alarms.
- Keep the temperature in your bedroom comfortable.
- Use only a 60-watt light in your bedroom. Excess light prolongs sleep onset.
- Keep the bedroom dark. Eliminate light from outside streetlights, etc. by covering the windows well. If your clock lights the room, cover it. You should not have a television in the bedroom.
- Try earplugs if you are being awakened by outside noise, your partner’s snoring, etc.
- Alcohol may interrupt your sleep later in the night. The effect of alcohol is deceiving. It may induce sleep, but chances are it will be a fragmented sleep and cause rebound awakening, 4-6 hours later.