Sleep Hygiene to Support Behavior
By: Dr. B.
Sleep Hygiene sounds like it should mean clean bedding! That certainly can help and describe a version of sleep hygiene, but we are actually referring to the pattern of sleep that one participates in. Sleep hygiene includes a variety of different practices and habits that are necessary to have good nighttime sleep quality and full daytime alertness (National Sleep Foundation, 2018). Taking good care of yourself with good sleep habits is good practice for maintaining your overall health and to make the most of your waking hours! Sleep has a direct effect on mental health and regulators of behavior in students.
I work with many students with revved up systems that can’t learn, or who are unable to process emotions, or are disruptive because they don’t get enough sleep. Others are unable to get up for school and spend hours in bed during the night which leads to feeling lethargic and being unable to leave their homes because they don’t get enough sleep. It may also cause them to have many behaviors in school causing challenges with classroom management.
Poor sleep hygiene may occur due to medical issues, trauma, busy schedules, patterns of behavior that don’t allow the body to rest, amongst many other things.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 10-13 hours of sleep for those aged 3-5 years, 9-12 hours of sleep for those aged 6-12 years and 8-10 hours of sleep for teenagers aged 13-18 years (American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2018). These are basic guidelines and there are many individual variations in sleep requirements.
Many people need more sleep than recommended and very few people can operate on less. Poor sleep and poor sleep hygiene can lead to increased anxiety/agitation, lower mental acuity, or increased cortisol releases, which are created to stay awake [I often see this with dysregulated students], lowered immune systems and many other issues (Harvard Medical School, 2018).
Sleep allows the body to rest and repair itself, however many people may not feel rested after a night of sleep as the brain is always working. This can lead to sleep deprivation symptoms and a sleep deficiency even when one has “slept like a rock”. [I haven’t seen rocks sleep so when I hear this claim, I often wonder how beneficial sleep was for their system!].
Sleep deficiency can occur when you don’t get enough sleep, when you sleep at the wrong time of day, when you don’t sleep well or get all of the different types of sleep that your body needs or when you have a sleep disorder that prevents you from getting enough sleep or causes a poor quality of sleep (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018)
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of how to improve sleep hygiene!
1. Be Consistent – Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning, including on the weekends. This helps your body maintain its circadian rhythm, and waking at the same time every day will help you sleep better at night (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016).
2. Have a process at night of how to prepare for bed – whatever it may be such as face washing, bathing, teeth brushing – water is a natural regulator, and it will help to calm the body – just watching it can be effective. When you have an established ritual before bed, it signals to your brain that it is time to move toward sleep.
3. Focus on comfort – that is particular to every person and should be customized to what you prefer. Make sure you have comfortable bedding and that your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing and at a comfortable temperature (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Some people are impacted by smells or textures, so be attuned to what works for you. You should also remove distractions such as TVs, computers, and cellphones from your bedroom to ensure a good night’s sleep (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). No screen time within two hours of sleep.
4. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine and foods that can be disruptive right before sleep – Heavy or rich foods, fatty or fried meals, spicy dishes, citrus fruits, and carbonated drinks can trigger indigestion for some people. When this occurs close to bedtime, it can lead to painful heartburn that disrupts sleep (National Sleep Foundation, 2018).
5. Get some exercise – Exercise can help promote good quality sleep, and being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep more easily at night (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016).
As little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise can drastically improve nighttime sleep quality. For the best night’s sleep, most people should avoid strenuous exercise close to bedtime. However, the effect of nighttime exercise on sleep may differ from person to person, so find out what works best for you (National Sleep Foundation, 2018).
6. Smells can play an important role – my 5-year-old sometimes sleeps on my shirt as she says the smell helps her to think of happy thoughts from vacations. Sensory input can add quality to the sleep experience so think about what you enjoy most and add it to your sleep routine.
7. Have an appreciative practice – this helps to release serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine, which has been shown to result in improved sleep (Gottfried, 2016). Think of 1 to 3 things you appreciate and make it a daily routine.
8. Use restorative poses to calm the nervous system – If you struggle with falling asleep restorative poses will help the body ‘rest’ even if you cannot sleep or if you feel sluggish after waking.
9. Engage in diaphragmatic breathing – This helps to engage the ‘relaxation response’ of your parasympathetic nervous system – think of it as the opposite of the system that engages the amygdala. (Bergland, 2017). I often coach my students to do a 7-11 breath – breath in for a count of 7 and out for a count of 11. The extended exhale of this breath helps the body regulate and activates the parasympathetic system and the ‘relaxation response’.
10. Visualize a memory that is enjoyable – take yourself through the memory from start to finish while trying to tune into sensory details. Some examples of sensory details are: What did the air smell like? What was the temperature like? Was it humid or dry? etc. This can act as a guided meditation to help you feel relaxed and can redirect your attention, which can help you achieve better sleep hygiene (Dombeck, Mills, & Reiss, 2019).
For More Tips and Strategies check out www.core-methods.com or www.thebehaviorbootcamp.com
References
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2018). Recharge with sleep: Pediatric sleep recommendations promoting optimal health. Retrieved from: https://aasm.org/recharge-with-sleep-pediatric-sleep-recommendations-promoting-optimal-health/
Bergland, C. (2017). Diaphragmatic breathing exercises and your vagus nerve. Retrieved from:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201705/diaphragmatic-breathing-exercises-and-your-vagus-nerve
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Sleep Hygiene. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/sleep_hygiene.html
Dombeck, M., Mills, H., & Reiss, N. (2019) Visualization and Guided Imagery for Stress Reduction. Retrieved from: https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/visualization-and-guided-imagery-techniques-for-stress-reduction/
Gottfried, S. (2016). What gratitude does to your brain. Retrieved from: https://www.saragottfriedmd.com/thanksgiving-what-gratitude-does-to-your-brain/
Harvard Medical School. (2018). Consequences of Insufficient Sleep. Retrieved from: http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences
National Sleep Foundation. (2018). Sleep Hygiene. Retrieved from: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-hygiene
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency. Retrieved from: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency
