Inadequate sleep hygiene

By: Dr. Lin Enilk

Inadequate sleep hygiene is a form of insomnia primarily caused by bad sleeping habits. As such, this is one of the least serious forms of sleeping disorders, as it is quite often easily corrected by making a few simple changes to your routine and daily practices leading up to your bedtime. If not looked after in this way though, it can lead to, or continue to produce side effects common with many other sleeping disorders, which can be harmful to your quality of life.

The first category is related to falling asleep, and there are many things that can disturb this. First and foremost is any form of caffeine intake close to bedtime, and this can include hours before bedtime. Caffeine stays in the system for an average duration of 3-5 hours, and could remain for as long as 12 hours. Most people are aware of this, but think that it isn’t affecting them.

Having a regular routine before bed can greatly increase the effectiveness of falling asleep. This should be a relaxing activity such as reading, listening to relaxing music, meditating or bathing. Exercising just before bed is not recommended as it increases your body temperature and your mental alertness. Exercising should be done during the middle of the day, and having an active and healthy lifestyle will also aid in good sleeping behaviour. On top of your routine, you should also have a regular bedtime, or as close to a regular bedtime as you can get. This will become ingrained in your internal clock, and should facilitate near instantaneous sleep when combined with other quality sleep hygiene methods.

Poor sleep can also be caused by the mind being too active and not shutting down. This is commonly caused by stress, anxiety, fear or excitement. If you find yourself regularly having trouble falling asleep despite practicing many other good sleeping habits, you may need to develop mind tricks or exercises to help take your mind off others things, and prepare it to shut down for sleep. You will also find that after getting in a routine of doing this, sleep will naturally come much easier, even without the practice of these exercises. For more serious mental issues that are not easily resolved and are preventing you from falling asleep, you should consult your doctor, a sleep specialist or a therapist.

The second category relates to staying asleep, and while you may think this is out of your control, there things that can be done to improve this function.

Avoiding alcohol or drugs near bedtime will improve your quality of sleep. While these are often viewed as sedatives and it may be true that they will promote initially falling asleep, they often cause nighttime disturbances and awakenings, leading to poor quality sleep.

Sleeping in a comfortable environment will promote quality sleep. This includes a mattress and pillow that are comfortable and right for you, as well as sleeping in an environment that has the proper darkness, sound and temperature levels. This can vary by individual. Some people may actually sleep better with low playing music left on, or with lights on, but in general you should sleep in a dark, quiet and cool environment. A temperature below standard room temperature is encouraged, as being under blankets will increase your body temperature. Too cool of an environment can make it difficult to sleep though, as any exposed skin will become clammy, and pillows may become too cool to rest your face on, leading you to wake up.

The effects of poor sleeping hygiene can be felt in many ways during our daily lives, and are just as potent as other sleeping disorders. This can include, but is not limited to, low energy and overall tiredness, lack of motivation and drive to get things done, mood changes, poor decisions, memory problems, trouble concentrating and headaches.

Needless to say, these are potentially very hurtful traits, and should be looked after by using the above steps. For further advice, or if the aforementioned tips have not improved the quality of your sleep you should consult your doctor or a sleep specialist. They will gather as much of your sleeping history as they can, and may instruct you to keep a sleep diary over the course of the following week or more to help them accurately pinpoint where the problems may lie, and what can be done to get rid of them.

In cases where a further sleeping disorder is not suspected, but the sleeping problems persist, a doctor may prescribe you with sleeping pills. These can of course do wonders for your sleeping, but are not without their own associated risks, which should be discussed fully with your doctor.

If it’s suspected that you may in fact have a sleeping disorder separate from inadequate sleep hygiene, you may need to take an overnight sleep test to see if something else is at the root of your sleeping ailments.

Article Source: http://appliedhealtharticles.com

Dr. Lin Enilk is a contributing writer for American Sleep Association www.sleepassociation.org. His primary interest is sleep apnea and insomnia.

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