Sleep hygiene

Sleep hygiene is the practice of following simple guidelines in an attempt to ensure more restful, effective sleep which can promote daytime alertness and help treat or avoid certain kinds of sleep disorders. Trouble sleeping and daytime sleepiness can be indications of poor sleep hygiene.

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The extreme form of sleep hygiene is Dark Therapy, an experimental treatment.

Conditions related to Sleep Hygiene

Sleep hygiene is now more frequently advised for conditions which research has linked to problems with sleep duration (especially short sleep duration) such as bipolar disorder^[1], depression^[2], diabetes, heart disease^[3][4][5], hypertension^[6] and obesity.^[7][8][9] Sleep hygiene has also been linked to school performance.^[10]

It is important to note however, that clinical trials of sleep hygiene for these conditions are few; instead a causal relationship has usually been inferred from correlations in available survey data. Also "sleeping more than 7 to 8 hours per day has been consistently associated with increased mortality"^[11] as well as has short sleep duration.^[12] Again, in general, causal links are, as yet, speculative; the available data may only reflect comorbid depression, socioeconomic status, or even alcohol use.^[13]

Sleep hygiene is useful in a wide range of sleep disorders and combines advice about homeostatic, adaptive and circadian aspects of sleep control, how to avoid sleep deprivation, and how to respond to awakenings from sleep if these occur.^[14]

General suggestions

The following suggestions can help people with sleep disorders and their families:

Time

• Get up at the same time every day, regardless of what time you fell asleep the night before
• Maintain a consistent bedtime, again regardless of what time you actually fall asleep
• If you do take a nap, do not take one in the late afternoon or evening

Preparation

• Try to get some exposure to natural outdoor daylight every day
• Exercise regularly, but not within four hours of bedtime
• Don't ingest caffeine or nicotine for at least six hours prior to bedtime
• Don't drink alcohol for at least four hours prior to bedtime
• Don't watch television or work on the computer for at least an hour before bedtime
• Perform only relaxing mental and or physical activities before bedtime
• Try to gradually decrease the surrounding light levels as you go through the hours before bedtime

Environment

• Keep your bedroom quiet and cool (extreme temperatures compromise sleep) and use earplugs if your room is noisy
• Keep your bedroom as dark as possible, cover all LEDs, and if you get up during the night do not turn on any bright lights
• Cover your alarm clock so that you cannot keep checking to see what time it is

References

1. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Treating-Bipolar-Disorder.html
2. ^ http://www.sleepeducation.com/Article.aspx?id=213
3. ^ http://www.newscientist.com/channel/health/mg19125694.000-why-were-not-immune-to-losing-sleep.html
4. ^ http://www.sleepeducation.com/Article.aspx?id=214
5. ^ http://www.ynhh.org/healthlink/cardiac/cardiac_3_03.html
6. ^ http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Heart_Letter.htm
7. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=2855457
8. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/29/sleep.health/index.html
9. ^ http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/2266/31/
10. ^ Wolfson AR, Carskadon MA (1998) Sleep schedules and daytime functioning in adolescents Child Dev. 69(4):875-87 [1]
11. ^ Patel SR, Malhotra A, Gottlieb DJ et al (2006) Correlates of long sleep duration Sleep 29(7):881-889 [2]
12. ^ Patel SR, Ayas NT, Malhotra MR et al (2004) A prospective study of sleep duration and mortality risk in women Sleep 1;27(3):440-4 [3]
13. ^ Irwin MR, Ziegler M (2005) Sleep deprivation potentiates activation of cardiovascular and catecholamine responses in abstinent alcoholics Hypertension 45(2):252-7 [4]
14. ^ Sleep hygiene. Nature of Sleep and its Disorders. Armenian Medical Network (2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-19.