Sleep Hygiene

 

Vigy Elizebth Cherian

Assistant Professor, Sharda University, Greater Noida, NCR, Delhi

 

ABSTRACT:

Sleep hygiene’ is the term used to describe good sleep habits. Considerable research has gone into developing a set of guidelines and tips which are designed to enhance good sleeping, and there is much evidence to suggest that these strategies can provide long-term solutions to sleep difficulties. There are many medications which are used to treat insomnia, but these tend to be only effective in the short-term. Ongoing use of sleeping pills may lead to dependence and interfere with developing good sleep habits independent of medication, thereby prolonging sleep difficulties. It is recommend that good sleep hygiene as an important part of treating insomnia, either with other strategies such as medication or cognitive therapy or alone.

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Sleep hygiene is a variety of different practices and habits that are necessary to have good night time sleep quality and full daytime alertness. This recommendation was developed in the late 1970s as a method to help people with mild to moderate insomnia, but, as of 2014, the evidence for effectiveness of individual recommendations is "limited and inconclusive"¹. Good sleep hygiene ensures you consistently enjoy higher-quality, more restful sleep for a sufficient amount of time each night. Bad sleep habits, on the other hand, lead to poor quality and inadequate sleep¹.

 

HISTORY:

The term sleep hygiene was first introduced in 1939 by Nathaniel Kleitman, a book published in 1977 by psychologist Peter Hauri introduced the concept within the context of modern sleep medicine. In this book Hauri outlined a list of behavioral rules intended to promote improved sleep.

 

 

Similar concepts are credited to Paolo Mantegazza who published a related original book in 1864².  The 1990 publication of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD) introduced the diagnostic category Inadequate Sleep Hygiene. Inadequate sleep hygiene was a sub-classification of Chronic Insomnia Disorder in the ICSD-II published in 2005; it was removed from the 2014 ICSD-III along with two other classifications, because "they were not felt to be reliably reproducible in clinical practice.²"

 

DEFINITION:

Sleep hygiene is the recommended behavioural and environmental practice that is intended to promote better quality sleep².

 

WHAT’S GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE?

The most important elements of sleep hygiene require the following from the bedroom:

·       Temperature – neither too hot nor too cold

·       Darkness – the darker, the better

·       Quiet – the quieter, the better

·       A comfortable place to lie down and stretch out⁴

 

 

 

GUIDELINES TO IMPROVE SLEEP HYGIENE:

·       Limiting daytime naps to 30 minutes

·       Avoiding stimulants such as  caffeine and nicotine close to bedtime

·       Exercising to promote good quality sleep

·       Steering clear of food that can be disruptive right before sleep

·       Ensuring adequate exposure to natural light.

·       Establishing a regular relaxing bedtime routine

·       Making sure that the sleep environment is pleasant³

 

HOW TO PRACTICE GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE:

·       Know how much sleep needed.

·       Go to bed the same time every night.

·       Find a quiet place to sleep

·       Keep the bedroom dark and cool.

·       Dedicate the bed to sleep and sex, and nothing else.

·       Limit screen time before going to bed

·       Follow a bedtime routine

·       Limit the daytime naps.

·       Watch what to eat and drink, and when

·       Limit other substances, too

·       Exercise during the day

·       Get some sunshine

·       Stay calm when can’t sleep²

 

IMPORTANCE TO PRACTICE GOOD SLEEP HYGIENE:

·       For physical and mental health

·       To improve productivity and overall quality of life

·       It helps to stay focused during the day, regulate the mood, and feel more productive and functional on a daily basis³.

 

SIGNS OF POOR SLEEP HYGIENE:

·       Frequent sleep disturbances

·       Daytime sleepiness

·       Taking too long to fall asleep

·       Night spent tossing and turning⁴.

 

10 TIPS FOR PREMIUM SLEEP HYGIENE:

·         Consistency count

·         Cut the stimulants

·         Turn off the devices

·         Chill-out

·         Stay out

·         Watch what you eat

·         Workout on time

·         Think dark or dim

·         Create a pre-bed ritual

·         Avoid lying awake⁵

 

 

 

HOW TO FALL ASLEEP IN 5 MINUTES:

·       Breathing exercise will help to sleep for free:

·       Breathe in through the nose for four seconds.

·       Hold the breath for seven seconds.

·       Slowly breathe out through the mouth for eight seconds.

·       Repeat this process until to fall asleep³.

 

DON’T OF SLEEP HYGIENE:

·       Exercise just before going to bed

·       Engage in stimulating activity just before bed, such as playing computer games, watching an exciting program on television or movie, or having an important discussion with a loved one

·       Have caffeine in the evening (coffee, teas, chocolate, etc.)

·       Have alcohol in the evening or use alcohol to sleep (it may make become drowsy but it doesn’t improve sleep and it will wake to go to the toilet) 

·       Smoke before going to bed – nicotine is a stimulant and will keep awake

·       Read or watch television in bed 

·       Go to bed too hungry or too full

·       Take another person's sleeping pills

·       Never take daytime naps or doze off in front of the TV in the evening – keep yourself awake with something stimulating or your risk resetting the body clock

·       Command yourself to go to sleep. This only makes the mind and body more alert

·       If you lie in bed awake for more than 20-30 minutes, get up, go to a different room (or different part of the bedroom), participate in a quiet activity (e.g. non-excitable reading or television), then return to bed when feel sleepy. Do this as many times during the night as needed⁵

 

REFERENCES:

1.      Irish, Leah A.; Kline, Christopher E; Gunn, Heather E; Buysse, Daniel J; Hall, Martica H (October 2014). "The role of sleep hygiene in promoting public health: A review of empirical evidence". Sleep Medicine Reviews. 22: 23–36.

2.      Hauri, P. (2011). Sleep/wake lifestyle modifications: Sleep hygiene. In Barkoukis TR, Matheson JK, Ferber R, Doghramji K, eds. Therapy in Sleep Medicine.Elsevier Saunders, Philadelphia, PA. pp. 151–60.

3.      Gigli, Gian Luigi; Valente, Mariarosaria (30 June 2012). "Should the definition of "sleep hygiene" be antedated of a century? A historical note based on an old book by Paolo Mantegazza, rediscovered". Neurological Sciences. 34 (5): 755–60. doi:10.1007/s10072-012-1140-8. PMID 22752854.

4.      Bonnet MH, Arand DL. Overview of insomnia. UpToDate, Topic 7684 Version 15.0. Last updated: Sep 02, 2014. Page accessed: Dec 16, 2014

5.      Brown, Franklin C.; Buboltz, Walter C.; Soper, Barlow (January 2002). "Relationship of Sleep Hygiene Awareness, Sleep Hygiene Practices, and Sleep Quality in University Students". ^Behavioral Medicine. 28 (1): 33–8.

 

 

 

Received on 04.12.2018          Modified on 29.01.2019

Accepted on 27.02.2019     © A&V Publications all right reserved