Sleep hygiene
Sleep hygiene is a set of habits and conditions that support regular, sufficient and restorative sleep.
Definition
Sleep hygiene includes, among others: regularity of sleep and wake-up times, limiting caffeine and alcohol before bed, reducing exposure to light in the evening, a peaceful wind-down ritual and appropriate conditions in the bedroom. It does not replace the treatment of sleep disorders, but is often the basis for improving the quality of rest.
Key ideas
- Regularity
- Limiting stimuli
- Regeneration conditions
Practice and life
For seven days, set a fixed wake-up time and a 30-minute wind-down ritual without work, intense screens and difficult conversations.
Common misconceptions
It is a mistake to treat sleep hygiene as a one-time trick. Sleep responds to the rhythm of the entire day, not just the last five minutes before falling asleep.
> Sleep doesn't start in bed; it starts in the way you conduct your day.
> — Guru Element
Questions for self-reflection
- What spoils my sleep the most in my day?
- Do I have a fixed wake-up time?
- How can I lower my stimuli in the last hour of the day?