Sleep hygiene refers to healthy sleeping habits that assist you in getting a good night’s rest. Although small steps like keeping your phone out of the bedroom might seem inconsequential, good sleep hygiene can get your body into the routine of going to sleep and removes some of the distractions that might get in the way of proper rest.

Here are a few of my top tips for getting some decent shut-eye...

1. Try and go to bed at the same time each night (but don't stress if you can't)

One of the top tips I've heard from my doctors and psychologists is to try and go to bed at the same time every night, and get up at the same time each morning. Getting to bed at the same time each night can be pretty tricky for some of us, because not all of our days look the same. Most days, my bedtime is 10:30pm(ish), and I stick to this pretty well, but a few days a week I work nights or go out for dinner with friends. Initially, this used to stress me out, as I'd worry about getting to bed too late or not being able to sleep properly if I didn't start winding down at the same time every night. Funnily enough, the stress of getting to bed too late actually made my sleep worse.

Now, I aim to get to bed at roughly the same time every night, with the knowledge that some days this won't be possible because life happens. When I know I won’t be in bed at my usual time, I try and make sure that I’m still getting 8 hours sleep each night. So, if I get home from a concert and go to bed at midnight, I don’t expect myself to be out of bed until at least 8am the next morning to ensure that I get enough rest. That way, I still get some shut eye without missing out on the evening activities that are important to me.

2. Know the difference between a ‘nap’ and a ‘sleep’

Things don’t always go to plan, and some nights I simply don’t get enough restful sleep. If I didn’t sleep too well, or I’m feeling foggy the next morning, I’m the kind of person that is happy to take a quick power nap to recharge. BUT there is a big difference between having a nap and having a sleep. For me, a nap is a quick snooze that goes anywhere from 25-45 minutes. Usually I wake up feeling rested and ready to face the day. A sleep is when I roll into bed and sleep for a few hours, and wake up feeling worse than when I laid down.

I find that if I sleep during the day, it’s harder to get to sleep at night, so I try to avoid napping for any more than an hour during the day. It’s always tempting to snooze my nap alarm, so I make sure that I put my phone on my desk or somewhere on the other side of the room so that I have to get up to turn it off. That way, I can’t just turn it off and roll back over.

3. Establish a nightly routine

A nightly routine helps me to get good sleep because these simple actions help my mind to recognise that we are winding down and it’s time for sleep. Your evening routine can look however you want it to, but here are some ideas that might work for you:

• Have a shower and brush your teeth
• Put your phone on the charger in a different room
• Read before bed
• Have a cup of tea
• Dim the lights 
• Listen to some calming music
• Turn off the TV or other screens 

Personally, I know it’s time for bed once I’ve brushed my teeth, taken my medication, had a cup of tea, put my phone and laptop away, burned some incense, drawn the curtains, and popped in a podcast.

4. Be mindful of what you eat and drink before bed

I’m not a coffee drinker, but I used to have the occasional instant coffee when I was at school to keep me alert during my nighttime study session. Bad idea. I used to lay awake for hours if I drank anything with caffeine in it after dinner, because it’s a stimulant that keeps you switched on even when you’re trying to switch off. My new motto for evening work is that if you’re tired, it’s probably time to call it quits for the day (not pop some No-Doz or smash a can of Coke).

I also try to eat dinner at least a few hours before I go to bed. Have you ever laid down to sleep after having a gutful of food? It is not comfortable, and it’s not that great for your digestion either. If I go to bed too quickly after eating (or have a cheeky midnight snack), I often get indigestion or heartburn, which certainly keeps me awake. The same applies with drinking alcohol. If I go to bed as soon as I get home from a night out, I find myself fading in and out of sleep and frankly feeling a little sick. With that in mind, I try to avoid drinking on weeknights when I know I've got places to be the next morning. If I do have a drink on the weekend, I make sure that I stay up for a little while instead of rolling straight into bed and I try to drink as much water as I can during this time. Usually, this helps me sleep better AND helps me avoid a hangover the next morning, which is a win-win in my book 😄

5. If you can’t sleep, get out of bed

A few years ago I had some trouble getting to sleep for quite some time. My OCD would come alive at night and fill my head with obsessions and my body with anxiety. I would lay awake for hours trying to get some shut eye, but I just couldn’t manage to drift off. When I talked to my psychologist about it, he gave me some great advice - if you can’t get to sleep after about 20 minutes, get up and do something. I would get out of bed and do something boring or repetitive, like colouring in or reading a few pages of my book, until I started to feel genuinely tired. I avoided using screens or doing anything that was too stimulating, and it really helped me to tire my mind out without accidentally waking myself up too much. If you’re lying awake counting down the hours until you have to wake up, get out of bed and do something relaxing before you try and nod off to sleep again. 

6. Remember that beds are for sleeping

Once upon a time, I used to do everything in bed - studying, reading, watching Tiktoks, snacking. Now, the only thing I do in bed is sleep. This is for 2 reasons:

1) I don’t want to get too comfortable when I’m studying, working or reading, because then I’ll start to get sleepy and lose focus on what I’m doing.

2) I don’t want my bed to be associated with assignments or deadlines or stress in any way, because it makes it harder to relax once you climb into bed for the evening.

If you want to watch something before bed, think about taking your favourite show out to the couch and packing it away before you get into bed. If you want to stay in your room and you have no other place to study or to have some downtime, consider doing these activities ON the bed rather than IN the bed. When I’m on top of my quilt, it’s time to focus or enjoy some relaxation. When I’m under it, it’s time for sleep.

7. Rewrite your nightmares

Finally, one big thing that’s always affected the quality of my sleep is nightmares. For some people with mental health conditions, nightmares can bring up past trauma, or can extend your daily anxiety into dreamland. For me, I have some very vivid dreams about negative past experiences and sometimes my OCD obsessions even make an appearance.

If I wake up feeling distressed or unsettled after a nightmare, I often whip out my journal and rewrite the ending in a way that makes me feel more comfortable. For example, if I have a dream about being bullied and it ends with me being made to feel small, I rewrite the ending so that ‘dream me’ stands up for herself or walks away. If I have obsessions about family members dying in my dreams, I wake up and rewrite their story so that they get better and are healthy and well. That way, no matter what has frightened me awake, it reminds me that dreams are imaginary and that I am the one that’s in control of my mind, even if I’m asleep. 

Now it's over to you!

1. What does your evening routine look like? 🌙
2. What helps you get back to sleep if you're having a rough night? 😴