Sleep hygiene is essential for healthy sleep! Learn how you can improve your sleep and, consequently, your performance.
Table of contents
1. What is sleep hygiene?
The term “sleep hygiene” refers to rules , behaviors , and sometimes restrictions that help improve your sleep .
The prevention of sleep disorders is often a priority. People with very hectic or busy lives, in particular, benefit from good sleep hygiene.
Targeted measures to switch off , but also dietary changes and avoiding blue light in the evening can also help the ultra-busy among us to relax faster and better at night [1].
Good sleep hygiene should therefore always consist of a combination of different measures . While it can certainly be helpful in individual cases to avoid eating carbs in the evening, the causes of sleep problems are often more complex.
Therefore, it can best be remedied by implementing a complete evening routine.
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2. The most common causes of sleep problems
For a whopping 50% of those affected, sleep problems are linked to psychological problems or psychological stress. This often leads to a vicious cycle of sleep problems, severe daytime fatigue, and thus an increase in irritability, lack of motivation, and low moods [2].
But even people in excellent health suffer from sleep problems. Psychosocial stressors can also play an important role here.
Stress at work , in a relationship , arguments in the family or simply a general overload can contribute to the development and continuation of sleep disorders.
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In addition, lifestyle also plays a decisive role for many sufferers. If you do n't exercise at all, drink too much coffee , and consume foods high in carbohydrates and sugar every day, this can severely impair your sleep.
Regular alcohol and drug consumption, as well as smoking, also contribute significantly. The same applies to irregular sleep-wake rhythms .
Furthermore, your sleep problems may also be related to your immediate surroundings . City dwellers, in particular, often have problems with their bedroom facing a noisy street, roommates being noisy, or the curtains simply being too thin.
Heat or excessively cool temperatures can also lead to temporary sleep disturbances .
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3. 6 sleep hygiene measures - What you can do
The potential solutions for sleep problems are just as diverse as the causes. If you suspect complex causes behind your sleep problems or want to establish better sleep hygiene as a preventative measure, you can try the following tips:
1. Find your personal rhythm
When it comes to sleep , rhythm and regularity are particularly important . If you get up at roughly the same time every day and sleep for the same amount of time , you can optimize your bedtime routine and avoid irregularities.
However, you should also consider your chronotype and your ideal sleep duration .
It's more worthwhile than you might think at first: If you adapt your lifestyle to your ideal sleep-wake rhythm , you can significantly improve both your sleep and your daytime performance [3]!
2. Time your exercise sessions
Exercise and physical activity in the fresh air are great ways to tire your body . Generally speaking, regular exercise helps improve your sleep and your health .
However, you should pay attention to the timing : Plan your workouts so that your circulation has at least two to three hours to recover before bedtime. Avoid workouts immediately before bedtime at all costs.
3. Posture
There are essentially two components: your posture itself, and your posture in relation to your pillow and mattress. These two factors should be well coordinated.
Whether you are a side, back or stomach sleeper, you should definitely take your posture into consideration when buying pillows etc.
Incorrect head and neck posture, as well as a mattress that is too hard or too soft, can cause your body to tense up, causing you to wake up repeatedly at night.
4. Create an ideal sleeping environment
Your environment can also promote good sleep—or hinder it. In addition to temperature , brightness , and bedding , chaos and clutter can also negatively impact your sleep .
Your sleeping area should be quiet , dark , cool , and as minimalist as possible . It's best to buy extra-dark curtains or use a sleep mask. These are now available in "ultra black," so no light can pass through at all.
Additionally, keep your windows open whenever possible to allow fresh, cool air in. If you have noisy roommates or live on a busy street, consider earplugs.
5. Self-discipline and anchor points
To get the most out of your sleep, you can set a fixed bedtime . Wake-up time is especially important as an anchor point .
So it's really worth being very strict here. Even if you go to bed late, you should still get yourself up at your usual time in the morning.
This is the only way to ensure that you have built up enough sleep pressure in the evening to return to your normal rhythm.
6. Sleep rituals and relaxation techniques
Similar to morning routines, evening routines help you establish positive habits and then automate them later. This measure can work wonders, especially if your sleep problems are stress-related.
Good relaxation techniques include meditation , autogenic training , breathing exercises or gentle yoga such as Yin Yoga, which protects the circulatory system [4].
Because good sleep has so much to do with routine, it can be helpful to integrate relaxation exercises directly into your sleep ritual .
For example, you can plan 10 minutes for breathing exercises , 10 for meditation, then set your alarm and go to bed at your usual time.
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4. Conclusion
Good sleep hygiene helps prevent problems falling asleep and staying asleep. It can also improve good sleep and help prevent future sleep problems.
Since sleep problems can have numerous causes, you may have to try several measures until you find the right one(s).
However, in 50 to 80% of cases, sleep problems are related to our stress levels, our lifestyle and our eating habits.
So, if you make a few adjustments here, you can achieve great results. The most important thing for deep and healthy sleep, in addition to targeted behavioral changes, is regularity.
Only if you pay careful attention to your sleep hygiene and implement all measures with discipline can you achieve lasting improvements and avoid unnecessary fluctuations in your sleep quality.
5. Sources
[1] Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) (2008), Insomnia: Relaxation techniques and sleeping habits, Informed Health.org, online access: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279320/.
[2] Harvard Mental Health Letter (2019), Sleep and mental health: Sleep deprivation can affect your mental health, published online: https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health.
[3] Facer-Childs, ER; Boiling, S.; Balanos, GM (2018), The effects of time of day and chronotype on cognitive and physical performance in healthy volunteers, Sports-Medicine Open, Volume 4, Article Number: 47, published online: https://sportsmedicine-open.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40798-018-0162-z.
[4] Neuendorf, R.; Wahbeh, H.; [...]; Oken, BS (2015), Evidence-based Complementary Alternative Medicine, Article ID: 902708, Volume 2015, published online: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2015/902708/.
