Over 10 Tips for Better Sleep Hygiene
A few years ago I was referred to a Pulmonary Specialist due to a nights stay in the hospital due to the reason that they felt that I had “Sleep Apnea” and told me to follow up with a doctor. I had honestly never heard of it and had little experience with it. I do recall over a decade ago dating and he slept with a Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine which I found exceedingly irritating and let’s just say that relationship did not last very long. Then to imagine that years later that this “Sleep Apnea” would be looking me square in the face.
“Sleep apnea is a common condition in the United States. It can occur when the upper airway becomes blocked repeatedly during sleep, reducing or completely stopping airflow. This is known as obstructive sleep apnea. If the brain does not send the signals needed to breathe, the condition may be called central sleep apnea.” https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-apnea
At my first appointment with my Pulmonary Specialist he shared with me that my level was so low that I fortunately did not need to use a CPAP machine but that I need to work on my “Sleep Hygiene”. I had never heard of this ever but I was determined to develop plan. So I want to share with you some of the ideas I have come with and some I use more than others.
I encourage you to also develop plan and you may need to look at incorporating anywhere from a few of these items to whatever you feel suits you. You may have to do a little bit of trial and error and discover what suits you. Keep a sleep diary and try things, take notes on the things you are doing, what is working and what is not working. So here is my list and here is to a better nights sleep:
- Writing or Journaling
- Prayer
- Meditation
- Reading something you enjoy or something that is very boring that will put you to sleep as well.
- Essential oils like lavender on your temples, pillow and linens.
- Consider shutting everything down one to two hours before sleep.
- Hot as you can handle shower or soak
- Warm milk or Tumeric Tea
- Yoga just for sleep
- Youtube videos with sleep countdowns, ocean music, harp, fireplace or stories that are read to you.
- Binural beats from Youtube
- No electronics close by
- SleepyTime tea there are many variations.
- Lavendar bathtime and lotion, this is in the baby aisle.
I hope that you have a good starting point for developing a better nights sleep. So what are some things you would add to this list?
