In today’s day and age, sleep often tends to take a back seat as a lot of us tend to ignore sleep due to various reasons including deadlines, commitment, and screen time. But, the quality of sleep often tends to determine each and every facet of our lives, from physical health to mental well-being and productivity throughout the day. This blog explores the topic of sleep hygiene in detail as well as the steps which one can take in order to restore proper sleep for an individual.
Sleep hygiene refers to the ability of an individual to restore their sleep to the original state. It is a set of practices and habits which tend to promote proper, uninterrupted sleep for an individual. It encompasses everything from the bedroom environment to the sleep routines which have been followed by an individual. It helps to regulate the sleep wake cycle and makes sure that an individual is able to receive the proper restorative rest which is needed to function properly. If an individual is unable to maintain their sleep hygiene properly, then they would be predisposing themselves more to various psychiatric disorders, like depression. It has also been found out through various research studies that such individuals would be having more levels of depression and such students would be 3.28 times more likely to have depressive symptoms (Alanzi M.E., et al., 2023).
So, by maintaining sleep hygiene, individuals will be able to achieve better physical health, which includes maintaining a better immune system, metabolism and cardiovascular health. Sleep hygiene will be able to enhance the mental well-being of individuals as well as it has the power to influence the mind of an individual. An individual with great sleep hygiene will be able to achieve greater concentration in their lives and they will be able to focus more on their goals. Due to sleep hygiene an individual is also able to think clearly, and they will be able to wake up feeling refreshed from the previous night’s sleep. This will help them to think in a more creative manner such that they are able to solve their day to day problems in a more effective and efficient manner and think out of the box for different problems as well. Such a level of sleep hygiene will be able to achieve better and healthy relationships with others as one will be able to pursue better emotional stability with others which will be able to make sure that the person is able to connect with others more positively. (Alanzi E.A., et al., 2023).
In order to maintain great sleep hygiene, there are various steps which an individual can take. The first one includes creating a great environment for sleeping, which will ensure that the individual is able to sleep on time properly without any disturbances. The second one includes creating a consistent sleep schedule which will enable a person to reinforce their circadian rhythm. This includes sleeping as well as waking up at the same time. Third step includes not consuming foods which will make it difficult for an individual to sleep. This includes not consuming food products which contain caffeine in them. Lastly, make sure that there is proper exercise before sleeping. (Stepanski E.J., & Wyatt K.J., 2003).
References-
Alanzi E.A., et al., (2023). Sleep Hygiene Practices and Its Impact on Mental Health and Functional Performance Among Adults in Tabuk City: A Cross-Sectional Study
Stepanski E.J., & Wyatt K.J., (2003). Use of sleep hygiene in the treatment of insomnia. https://www.med.upenn.edu/cbti/assets/user-content/documents/Stepanski%20and%20Wyatt%20Sleep%20Hygiene%20.pdf
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