What is Quality Sleep? | Sleep Hygiene to the Rescue? | The Takeaway
Overview
Sleep. Sweet, refreshing sleep. Most of us enjoy it with little thought; however, some struggle to get enough, while others get too much.
But regardless of the type of sleep habits we individually experience, there is one overarching fact: sleep is one of the three pillars of health (the other two being diet and exercise), and its importance has only recently started to catch up with the other two.
Sleep has extraordinary importance on human health and well-being, so it would stand to reason that it deserves to be nurtured and preserved. Fortunately, science has determined an excellent method to do just that – and the best part is, it can be done starting tonight.
So, no matter your current sleep situation, read on to ensure you enjoy the many health benefits of good sleep for a long time.
What is Quality Sleep?
Before diving into sleep hygiene specifically, let’s look at sleep itself. Good sleep is essential to overall well-being and health, playing a vital role in brain function and physiological processes in nearly every body part.[1]
According to the National Sleep Foundation, young adults (age 18-25 years) and adults (age 26-64 years) should get 7 to 9 hours of sleep but not less than 6 hours or more than 10 hours (for adults) or 11 hours (for young adults). Older adults (65 years and older) should get 7 to 8 hours of sleep but not less than five or more nine hours.[2]
The human brain uses the circadian rhythm to control our daily schedule of wakefulness and sleep. It regulates hormone secretion throughout the day, controls body temperature, and influences eating habits and digestion.
This internal body clock uses light and darkness to regulate our responses to them. For example, when the sun sets, a hormone called melatonin gets secreted, signaling to the body that it’s time to sleep by making us sleepy.
Sometimes this circadian rhythm gets out of sync (for example, jet lag or varying shift work), or stress and anxiety cause us to unconsciously ignore the signaling of our circadian rhythm, which causes conditions such as insomnia. The opposite is true when sleeping for more extended periods than recommended.
Sleep Hygiene to the Rescue?
So, how can sleep hygiene help, and does it work? Sleep hygiene is simple: establish habits that optimize environmental factors to facilitate the best chance at sufficient and high-quality sleep. How do we do this? Glad you asked:
1. The Power of Scheduling: Sounds regimented, doesn’t it? But the truth is, having a regular sleep-wake cycle reinforces your circadian rhythm.[3]
Keep the same sleep and wake-up times daily, including weekends and holidays. This approach may sound challenging, and for some people, it admittedly is, but developing this habit alone can often help with most minor sleep problems.
Work, study, and social functions are all important, but sleep should not be sacrificed to make more room for them. Quite the opposite – quality sleep will make you more effective in all aspects of life.
2. All the Pretty Lights: Light greatly influences our circadian rhythm, and, in turn, our sleep.
Our internal clocks are guided by the natural, 24-hour light/dark cycle. Artificial indoor lights, especially the blue light from electronics such as smartphones, can negatively impact melatonin production.[4]
If you remember from earlier, this is the sleep hormone secreted by the brain to make us sleepy. A good idea would be to dim the lights in your home before bedtime and avoid using the types of electronics that emit blue light.
Some smartphones have a feature that will allow you to turn off blue light, but please remember – those electronics can also stimulate the brain too much before bedtime, so the best bet is to put the phone down about an hour before it’s time to sleep.
3. Foods to Avoid: A few things should not be consumed before bedtime. Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine are three such substances.
Nicotine and alcohol use within 4 hours of bedtime can cause fragmented sleep, leading to inferior sleep quality, daytime tiredness, and sleep deprivation.[5] Caffeine has been used for generations for wakefulness and alertness, and studies have shown that it can cause delayed sleep onset and poor quality sleep,[6] so avoiding these before bed is critical for a good night’s rest.
Similarly, eating heavy or spicy foods close to bedtime may lead to indigestion, which makes it hard for your body to relax enough to go into sleep mode.
4. A Cozy Sleep Environment: The environment you sleep in (for most of us, this is the bedroom) is more important than one might think in helping you get some quality zzz’s.
A comfortable, supportive mattress and pillow and comfy bedding are an excellent start to this. Equally important is the ambient temperature in the room you are sleeping in. Studies have shown that the optimal room temperature for sleep is around 66 to 70 degrees.[7]
Somehow, we always seem to return to the topic of light – but in this case, the complete lack of it. Use black-out curtains or a sleeping mask to ensure that it is completely dark in the room you are sleeping in.
Decorating can have a significant impact on the desire to sleep too. Adding some plants, peaceful wall art, and even the color of the walls can be conducive to better sleep. One of the best bedroom colors is blue, as it’s associated with calm and relaxation.
Calming scents like lavender can fill a bedroom with the help of a diffuser or other scent-emitting device and can be helpful to soothe the mind before sleep. In this scenario, it is best to avoid scented candles due to fire potential.
The Takeaway
Regarding sleep hygiene, the recommendations are universal, but every person should follow a plan that suits their specific needs and lifestyle.
It is important to remember that you don’t have to change everything at once. Sometimes it takes some experimentation too. One of the tips may work well for you, while others may find that using multiple or all of the tips mentioned above brings about the desired sleep onset. They become good habits and help you get that vital rest.
So, does sleep hygiene work? Science says it works for minor sleep disorders or ensures quality sleep. However, if you continue to struggle with sleeplessness after following a sleep hygiene routine for three months or more, you may need to talk to your doctor.
References:
- Medic, G., Wille, M., & Hemels, M. E. (2017). Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption. Nature and science of sleep, 9, 151–161. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S134864
- Lichtenstein G. R. (2015). The Importance of Sleep. Gastroenterology & hepatology, 11(12), 790.
- McMahon, W. R., Ftouni, S., Phillips, A. J. K., Beatty, C., Lockley, S. W., Rajaratnam, S. M. W., Maruff, P., Drummond, S. P. A., & Anderson, C. (2020). The impact of structured sleep schedules prior to an in-laboratory study: Individual differences in sleep and circadian timing. PloS one, 15(8), e0236566. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236566
- West, K. E., Jablonski, M. R., Warfield, B., Cecil, K. S., James, M., Ayers, M. A., Maida, J., Bowen, C., Sliney, D. H., Rollag, M. D., Hanifin, J. P., & Brainard, G. C. (2011). Blue light from light-emitting diodes elicits a dose-dependent suppression of melatonin in humans. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 110(3), 619–626. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01413.2009
- Spadola, C. E., Guo, N., Johnson, D. A., Sofer, T., Bertisch, S. M., Jackson, C. L., Rueschman, M., Mittleman, M. A., Wilson, J. G., & Redline, S. (2019). Evening intake of alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine: night-to-night associations with sleep duration and continuity among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Sleep Study. Sleep, 42(11), zsz136. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsz136
- Clark, I., & Landolt, H. P. (2017). Coffee, caffeine, and sleep: A systematic review of epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials. Sleep medicine reviews, 31, 70–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2016.01.006
- Harding, E. C., Franks, N. P., & Wisden, W. (2019). The Temperature Dependence of Sleep. Frontiers in neuroscience, 13, 336. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.00336
