What is Sleep Hygiene and How Does it Affect Me? 

By: Aspen J. Wood and Cindy Nelson, USU Extension Associate Professor

Sleep hygiene encompasses practices and habits essential for promoting high-quality sleep and achieving a healthy sleep duration. Sleep plays a crucial role in both emotional and physical health. Key factors influencing sleep hygiene include consistency in sleep schedules, adherence to bedtime routines, and optimizing the sleep environment.

How To Create a Healthy Sleep Environment

 Sleep is an important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Creating a routine and environment in which a healthy quantity and quality of sleep can occur is valuable.  According to the National Sleep Foundation (2020), several factors contribute to a good sleep environment, including room temperature, lighting, noise levels, and comfort of the bedding. Maintaining a cool room temperature (60-67 degrees Fahrenheit) helps facilitate the body's natural temperature drop during sleep (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2021). Minimizing exposure to light, especially blue light from screens before bed, supports the production of melatonin, a hormone essential for sleep (Harvard Health Publishing, 2021). Furthermore, reducing noise through earplugs or white noise machines can prevent sleep interruptions (National Institute on Aging, 2022). Finally, ensuring comfortable bedding promotes physical relaxation, aiding in falling and staying asleep (National Sleep Foundation, 2020).

Healthy Sleep Hygiene Benefits

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2021), adhering to consistent sleep schedules, even on weekends, helps regulate the body's internal clock which can promote better sleep quality. Additionally, practicing relaxation techniques before bed, such as deep breathing or meditation, can reduce anxiety levels and prepare the body to sleep (National Institute of Mental Health, 2020). Reducing or eliminating caffeine and alcohol intake, especially in the evening hours, supports uninterrupted sleep by minimizing sleep-disrupting effects (National Institute on Aging, 2022). Overall, incorporating healthy sleep hygiene practices into daily routines can contribute to improved cognitive function, mood regulation, and overall quality of life.

References

American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2021). Sleep and sleep disorders. Retrieved from https://aasm.org

National Institute of Mental Health. (2020). Anxiety disorders. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov

National Institute on Aging. (2022). Sleep and aging. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov

National Sleep Foundation. (2020). How to create the ideal sleep environment. Retrieved from https://www.sleepfoundation.org

Harvard Health Publishing. (2021). Blue light has a dark side. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu