The Importance of Sleep Hygiene for Mental Health

Getting a good night’s rest is so important for maintaining strong mental health. Lack of sleep can cause a cascade of problems, which can eventually pose a threat to your mental health. Lack of sleep can contribute to difficulty regulating your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and overall mood. Addressing sleep hygiene is an important topic, particularly if you’re experiencing sleep difficulties that impact your mental health.

What is Sleep Hygiene?

Sleep hygiene involves all necessary steps to ensure you get a good night’s rest. Also known as a “night routine” or a “sleep routine,” these habits should be practiced daily and consistently, and can involve a number of steps.



Steps to Improve Sleep Hygiene

There are several things you can put in place to help improve your sleep hygiene. Here are some places to start:

• Set your sleep environment. Consider the temperature of your bedroom, lighting, bedding, and sleep attire. Do you need to sleep in the cold? Or do you prefer a warmer room? Do you need pitch black or a night-light? TV on or off? Several pillows or just one? These are just some questions to ask yourself when setting up a sleep environment that’s most conducive to a restful night’s sleep. 
• Tend to aches and pains. Physical distress can be disruptive to a good night’s sleep. Do you have a headache or stomach ache? Try to address all physical complaints before going to bed. 
• Is something on your mind? Racing thoughts keep many people awake at night. If something is on your mind, it’s best to let it out. Take time to journal your thoughts to “empty your mind” before going to bed. I have sometimes gotten out of bed to journal because a nagging thought was preventing me from getting to sleep. 
• Preparation. What do you need to do to feel most prepared for bed? A shower? Washing your face? Turning on a podcast or calming music? Take time to prepare yourself for bed. This preparation, also known as winding down, helps give you time to shift into a restful state. 

My Sleep Routine

It took about a year to find a routine that works best for me. It’s also worth mentioning that this routine may change depending on what’s going on in my life; however, this is my routine on a typical day: 

• I finish any outstanding work by 6p, and I try not to check emails from my phone after this time. 
• I eat dinner no later than 7p to prevent heartburn or other gastrointestinal issues before bed. 
• I shower and get in bed between 8-9pm, making sure I turn on the air conditioner before getting in bed (I sleep best in the cold). 
• Take magnesium glycinate and/or drink tea. 
• Read low stimulating learning material for 1 hour (i.e., nonfiction books or articles)   --or--
• Watch low stimulating TV/play candy crush (yes, I still play candy crush..this is a judgment free zone..lol)
• Read a novel on my Kindle (if I’m not already dozing off). 
• Typically sleep between 10-11p.

Keeping up with this routine most days out of the week helps lessen the impact of the lack of sleep I might get on the days that I don’t do this routine. Thus, this routine is both restorative and preventative. 

By recognizing the significance of sleep hygiene and understanding its impact on your mental health, you too can take the necessary steps to improve your sleep habits and overall mental health. Implementing your sleep routine can lead you to a more restful night’s sleep and contribute to better mental health.

I hope this helps.

Until next time…

-Alana