It is no secret that good sleep is crucial to our well-being. Like many people in general, a lot of the clients I work with have some sort of trouble sleeping. For most, it comes in the form of difficulty falling asleep. Anxiety can wreak havoc on a person’s ability to fall asleep. It can contribute to distracting rumination, a racing mind, or intrusive thoughts that make it very difficult to settle down enough to fall asleep. Anxiety can also show up as tension in your body that interferes with nighttime relaxation. One way to work through some of these obstacles is by making sure you have good sleep hygiene. 

What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is the practice of setting up routines and habits that support good sleep. It can be thought of as similar to other types of hygiene. Just like it is good practice to floss for dental hygiene and to shower regularly for physical hygiene, there are behaviors you can do to help with healthy sleep patterns, especially if you are having trouble falling asleep. 

6 ways to improve your sleep hygiene 

1. Assess your environment

2. Follow a consistent schedule

3. Create a wind down routine

4. Associate bed with sleeping

5. Avoid using devices close to bedtime

6. Practice mindfulness strategies

Assess your environment

What is the space like where you are trying to fall asleep? Is your bed comfortable? If not, you might consider ways to make it more cozy. That might mean a new mattress, pillow, or blanket. Is your room a good temperature? It can be difficulty to fall asleep if you are too hot or too cold. You might consider adjusting your thermostat in the evenings, setting up a fan, or adding an additional blanket as needed. Are there any distractions in the room that make it difficult to relax? For example, if you have a work space set up in your room, the sight of your laptop might get your mind racing with all the tasks that you’d like to accomplish instead of allowing your thoughts to slow down and prepare for sleep. Move these extraneous pieces from the room if you can.

Create a schedule

One thing to consider is a sleep and wake schedule. I know this can be difficult but once you get into a routine, it can really help train your body to wind down and wake up at regular times. Consistency is key here. I typically recommend that people determine what time they would like to wake up and work backwards from there based on the amount of sleep you want to get. And be honest with yourself about this because most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep even if they say they can “function just fine” on less. Many smartphones have settings that will help you with this. You can put in your wake time goals and the amount of sleep you want so your phone can notify you when you should be winding down for the evening. 

Create a wind down routine 

Again, having routines is very helpful. A wind down routine can start 30 minutes or so before you want to get into bed and it helps let your body know that it is time for sleep. Components of a wind down routine could include things like reading a book, stretching, showering, washing your face, and brushing your teeth. The goal would be to quiet your mind, relax your body, and prepare for sleep. This means no behaviors that would be overly stimulating for your mind. Reading the news, scrolling on social media, watching tv, and working are all things that might get your more activated than relaxed. Try to save those things for earlier in the evening. 

Associate bed with sleeping

One reason that it might be difficult to fall asleep when you get into bed is because your mind and body have associated your bed with something other than sleep. If you tend to watch a lot of tv in bed or do work and study in bed, you may have inadvertently taught yourself that being in bed is a time for alertness. Try to save time in bed for sleep, rest, or intimacy only.

Avoid devices

Avoid using devices for at least 30 minutes before bed. That means making a conscious effort to turn off the tv and stop using your phone during that wind down time. This is as much about avoiding thought-stimulating headlines and photos as it is about the lights and brightness of the screens. If you are using a device to read, try to use blue-light blocking features or glasses. 

Practice mindfulness 

Mindfulness can be a great way to help slow your mind, focus your attention on rest, and disconnect from the deluge of thoughts that might hit you at bedtime. It is simply the act of noticing if your thoughts are racing and actively turning your attention to your breath or a restful visualization. This is not easy to do and it requires practice to make the most of it. Some people may find a progressive muscle relaxation to be quite helpful here too. Progressive muscle relaxation is a guided exercise that involves focusing on relaxing (or tensing then relaxing) various muscle groups. You can find some great, free exercises on the internet. For a deeper dive into mindfulness, check out my recent post on it here. 

Give it a try!

Now, this list is certainly not exhaustive. There are lots of ways you can experiment with for improving your sleep hygiene. Keep in mind that it might take a little while to really come up with the routines or schedules that work for you.

Ask for help if you need it

At the end of the day, good sleep is crucial for so many aspects of our well-being. If you find yourself continuing to struggle, please consider reaching out to a professional for help. If your sleep is seriously affected, it can always be a good idea to consult with your medical doctor. If you think your anxiety is still getting in the way and would like some help putting some of these tips (and more!) into practice - I’m here to help! Reach out here to see if we might be a good fit.