Sleep hygiene

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In an ideal situation, sleep should be undisturbed and experienced in the same room every night.
In an ideal situation, sleep should be undisturbed and experienced in the same room every night.

Sleep hygiene is the practice of following simple guidelines to ensure restful, effective sleep promoting daytime alertness and helping avoid the onset of sleep disorders. Trouble sleeping and daytime sleepiness can be indications of poor sleep hygiene.

The extreme form of sleep hygiene is Dark Therapy, an experimental treatment.

Sleep hygiene is now more frequently advised for conditions which research has linked to problems with sleep duration (especially short sleep duration) such as bipolar disorder[1], depression[2], diabetes, heart disease[3] [4] [5], hypertension [6] and obesity.[7] [8] [9] Sleep hygiene has also been linked to school performance.[10]

It is important to note however, that clinical trials of sleep hygiene for these conditions are few; instead a causal relationship has usually been inferred from correlations in available survey data. Also "sleeping more than 7 to 8 hours per day has been consistently associated with increased mortality"[11] as well as has short sleep duration.[12] Again, in general causal links are, as yet, speculative; the available data may only reflect comorbid depression, socioeconomic status, or even alcohol use.[13]

[edit] How To

Some measures of sleep hygiene include:

  • Going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.
  • Establishing a regular bedtime routine.
  • Using relaxation techniques (or meditation) shortly before sleep. Allow at least 1 hour to unwind before bedtime.
  • Restricting sleep to just the bedroom.
  • Avoiding large meals within one hour of sleep.
  • Regular, vigorous, daily exercise, preferably in the morning.
  • Getting adequate exposure to natural daylight every day.
  • Avoiding exercise less than 1 hour before going to sleep.
  • Avoiding, if possible, napping during the day.
  • Keeping the bedroom at a comfortable temperature. It is better for the bedroom to be slightly cooler—losing body heat has been shown to help the onset of slow wave (deep) sleep.
  • Keeping the bedroom as dark as possible.
  • Avoiding stimulants of any kind within one hour of retiring, e.g., caffeine or alcohol (which in smaller doses can act as a stimulant), except at the direction of a physician. People who are sensitive to stimulants, or who consume them in quantity, may need to extend this restriction to six or more hours before they attempt to sleep.
  • Keep your bedroom peaceful and comfortable. Make sure your room is well ventilated and the temperature consistent. And try to keep it quiet. You could use a fan or a white noise machine to help block outside noises. The fan should be left at the lowest clearly audible level, as a loud fan would be counter productive.

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Treating-Bipolar-Disorder.html
  2. ^ http://www.sleepeducation.com/Article.aspx?id=213
  3. ^ http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19125694.000-why-were-not-immune-to-losing-sleep.html
  4. ^ http://www.sleepeducation.com/Article.aspx?id=214
  5. ^ http://www.ynhh.org/healthlink/cardiac/cardiac_3_03.html
  6. ^ http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Heart_Letter.htm
  7. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=2855457
  8. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/29/sleep.health/index.html
  9. ^ http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/2266/31/
  10. ^ Wolfson AR, Carskadon MA (1998) Sleep schedules and daytime functioning in adolescents Child Dev. 69(4):875-87 [1]
  11. ^ Patel SR, Malhotra A, Gottlieb DJ et al (2006) Correlates of long sleep duration Sleep 29(7):881-889 [2]
  12. ^ Patel SR, Ayas NT, Malhotra MR et al (2004) A prospective study of sleep duration and mortality risk in women Sleep 1;27(3):440-4 [3]
  13. ^ Irwin MR, Ziegler M (2005) Sleep deprivation potentiates activation of cardiovascular and catecholamine responses in abstinent alcoholics Hypertension 45(2):252-7 [4]

[edit] External links

Focus on healthy Aging: Maintaining health and vitality in Middle Age and Beyond vol10, number 3 march 2007. 9 warning signs you shouldn't ignore, Mount Sinai school of medicine. Editor,Leipzig, MD, PhD

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