Sleep hygiene 101
It is hardly a term we associate with sleep, but it is something that our parents and grandparents have tried to foster in us as babies. “Parents of newborns develop PhDs in the sleep hygiene space very quickly because they want their baby to fall asleep faster,” says Dr Swinbourne, as they go through a few routine steps to wind the baby’s brain and body down and prepare it for overnight hibernation. That’s what sleep hygiene is all about.
Having a meal that contains some carbohydrates and protein, drinking warm milk, which has tryptophan – we make melatonin from that – and having a shower or a bath before bedtime are some tried and tested tactics, says Dr Swinbourne. “A warm shower raises the blood temperature, which in turn warms the skin, making the body temperature drop a bit. That’s the biological signal the body requires to prepare for nightfall, which is, in fact, a primal instinct since the time of hunter gatherers.”
This architecture of sleep changes a lot from childhood to adulthood as our bodies produce less melatonin as well. So there needs to be a conscious effort to re-engage, say Drs Leow and Swinbourne. Here are some good habits to have:
• Keep to a fixed sleep schedule and practise going to bed and waking up at the same time, even on weekends. There’s a tendency for those who have poor night sleep to nap during the day – limit nap time to 30 minutes at the most, or try not to nap after 2pm.
• Try to expose yourself to bright light (eg sunlight) for 30 minutes every morning.
• Develop a bedtime routine involving personal care and relaxing activities, such as those mentioned earlier, and utilise your smartphone’s bedtime countdown timer.
• Avoid stimulating activities such as vigorous exercise, work, watching a thriller or horror movie, or reading a page turner
too close to bedtime. The use of electronics can also affect the ability to fall asleep – turn your screen to night mode if you have to use your phone or tablet. • Avoid drinking coffee or tea after 4pm. Excessive intake of
nicotine or caffeine, and taking it too close to bedtime, affects the body’s ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. • Eat light at dinner time.
Heavy meals or too much fluid before bed could contribute to poorer sleep, as you might need to make a trip to the toilet in the middle of the night.
• If you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, do
not look at a clock. If you are still unable to sleep after 15 to 20 minutes, get out of bed and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy enough to fall asleep again. Then go back to bed.