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Sleep is essential for good physical and mental health, but a lot of us have developed some pretty bad habits that actively interfere with our ability to get a good night’s sleep. Do any of these sound familiar? 

• Spending all day sitting and not moving much

• Watching TV or working in bed

• Reading on your phone in the dark

• Taking long naps in the afternoon or sleeping in several hours later on the weekends

• Drinking coffee or eating heavy meals right before bedtime

 If it feels like you’re being personally called out by that list, don’t worry – you’re not alone! There are a lot of people who have developed these bad habits. They’ve also found that, even after what should have been a good night’s sleep, they’re still feeling tired in the morning.

The key to fixing it, for many people, is better sleep hygiene.

“Hygiene” probably calls to mind cans of Lysol and boiling water and dental floss, but sleep hygiene is a little different. Sleep hygiene is a set of practices and habits that set you up for success come bedtime - and you all know we love good habits here at Myrth.

Here are 5 basic sleep hygiene practices that can help you get a better night’s sleep:

1. Get some exercise and move your body

   You don’t have to take up CrossFit or become a triathlete, but try incorporating some movement into your day. Studies have shown that exercise during the day helps you fall asleep more quickly at night and sleep more deeply. Try some gentle beginner yoga or a 20-minute walk at lunchtime, move your body. Listen to your body about when during the day is the best time to exercise, but if you’re doing vigorous exercise, you probably don’t want to time it too close to bedtime because the rush of endorphins could keep you awake (a gentle walk or some stretching closer to bedtime is probably fine). See about adding these activities to the MyMoai app and get some friends to join in.

2. Limit your caffeine with coffee alternatives

   Consumption of caffeine is so normalized in American workplace culture that people look askance at you when you don’t join in. In fact, 90% of American adults consume caffeine daily. But drinking caffeine too close to bedtime (one study found that even six hours before bed had an effect) can both harm your ability to fall asleep at all and reduce the amount of restorative, deep sleep you get. Maybe you need some non-caffeinated tea or a coffee alternative.

3. Cut your exposure to blue light

   A lot of people are tempted to work on a laptop or watch tv in bed, but that’s not a great habit if you want a good night’s sleep. Blue light from screens like televisions, laptops, and phones can disrupt your body’s natural rhythms and confuse its sense of the time of day, which means you won’t be feeling tired when you should be. Instead, try reading a book, stretching, or meditating before bedtime. Or some people swear using blue light glasses helps.

4. Keep your bedroom a restful place

   It’s hard to fall asleep when you’re stressed about things like work and family obligations. It’s even harder to fall asleep when things like piles of unread papers and unpaid bills are literally in front of you while you’re trying to doze off. Keep the tasks you need to work on somewhere else and let your bedroom be a place for just rest and better sleep. One way to create a more restful space is to get a white noise sound machine to set the mood for sleep.

5. Use naps wisely and try to stick to a sleep schedule

   It can be tempting, when you’re feeling a bit tired, to take a really long afternoon nap or to sleep extra late on the weekends. While that might be okay occasionally, especially if you’re in an unusually sleep-deprived phase of life, you shouldn’t make a habit of it. For example, napping for too long (more than about 30 minutes) or too late in the day can hurt your nighttime sleep. Instead, try to go to bed at the same time every day, get up at about the same time every day, and use short naps either to give yourself a quick energy boost or as part of an early-afternoon routine (make sure to block out the light with a sleep mask). It’ll put your body into a rhythm that allows it to fall asleep more easily and get better sleep.

Of course, it should go without saying that if you’ve implemented better sleep hygiene practices and you’re still having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, or you still wake up feeling exhausted, you should check with your doctor. It could be a sign of an underlying health issue that they might be able to help you with.

For the rest of us, though, who just need to stop staring at our phones until 2 am, a little intentionality and developing a good bedtime routine should do the trick.

Have you made active efforts to improve your sleep hygiene and get better sleep? What have you changed? Drop us a line in the comments and let us know!

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