Sleep hygiene is one of the most fundamental and often overlooked parts of a healthy lifestyle. Frequently, we focus on exercise and diet as the main pillars of health, but sleep is just as essential, and most put on the back burner when it comes to a holistic overview. Sleep hygiene is the behavioral and environmental factors surrounding sleep that support healthy sleep patterns. Think of it as a child’s bedtime routine but for an adult. It can be a simpler way of describing healthy sleep habits that support regular, restful sleep. Most importantly, it is a modifiable behavior, meaning anyone has the ability to change their routine to improve their sleep.
The factors that impact sleep include things that would disrupt the normal sleep-wake cycle, such as inconsistent sleep schedules, and stimulant use such as caffeine, energy drinks, drug or alcohol use, nicotine use, and even screen time. If poor sleep hygiene is continued over prolonged periods, it can lead to significant mental and physical decline. According to a study done in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia, 55.5% of participants had poor sleep hygiene practices, which led to experiencing higher rates of daytime sleepiness and depression. (Alanazi et al., 2023, 7-8).
Sleep hygiene can have an even larger impact on those experiencing or recovering from trauma. Trauma can significantly impact sleep, and poor sleep hygiene only makes it worse. Disturbances in sleep are common after a traumatic experience, often involving hyperarousal, anxiety, and constant scanning for danger, which makes it difficult to relax or sleep (Khiron Clinics, 2022). Poor sleep quality can also impact overall mental health. Mental health effects of poor sleep include increased irritability, mood changes, and decreased positive emotions. (How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health, 2022). It can also increase anxiety and depression, as well as impact the ability to make decisions, control emotions and behavior, and your ability to cope with change. (Mental Health and Sleep, 2024) Other common impacts include difficulty concentrating and focusing, impaired memory for both long and short term, slower reaction times, poor judgement and decision making, and microsleeps, or brief, unintentional periods of sleep that can be dangerous in situations like driving or where you need your attention focused. (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, n.d.)
Good sleep hygiene can help combat all these effects for someone experiencing trauma or higher levels of stress and anxiety, as well as caregivers or those closest to them who may also be experiencing similar emotions. For those experiencing trauma or recovering from a negative situation, good sleep hygiene can reduce hyperarousal and anxiety, help process memories from a traumatic event and can even reduce the risk of developing PTSD (Khiron Clinics, 2022). For caregivers, it can reduce stress and improve mood and enhance overall health and cognitive function. It also means that for a caregiver, to help aid in judgement, decision making, concentrating and focusing, good sleep hygiene is imperative. (How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health, 2022) (Seer Medical, n.d.).
Some ways to improve and practice sleep hygiene include creating a comfortable sleep space, which ensures wherever you sleep is calm, safe, and comfortable. Lighting, temperature, sound, and bedding can all aid in creating a comfortable environment. You can also set a routine to establish a sleep-wake cycle, practice relaxation techniques like exercising, meditation, and avoiding screens. (Seer Medical, n.d.). You can pay attention to diet, avoiding large meals, sugars, and caffeine before bed, as well as nicotine, drugs, and alcohol overall. Finally, if sleep problems persist through all attempts, consulting your healthcare providers would be a beneficial next step. (Khiron Clinics, 2022).
There are many resources to help aid in your journey to finding your sleep routine. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) provides a sleep calculator, where you can input your age and wake up time, and they provide you with a recommended bedtime and the number of hours you should be sleeping for your age range. There are also many apps accessible for phones and tablets that have meditations offered to be followed that promote good sleep, as well as white noise that aids in better sleep as well. You can also find white noise options on any music apps, such as Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube. BetterSleep is editor’s choice in the Apple App store and has a rating of 4.8 stars.
In conclusion, prioritizing sleep hygiene is important for overall health and wellbeing, especially for vulnerable populations that are experiencing negative impacts of life. By adopting these positive sleep practices, daily functioning and mental health can be improved. Good sleep reduces the risk of mental health disorders and enhances the ability to cope with stress and trauma.
Alanazi, E. M., Alanazi, A. M. M., & Albuhairy, A. H. (2023). Sleep Hygiene Practices and Its Impact on Mental Health and Functional Performance Among Adults in Tabuk City: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cureus, 15(3), e36221. Retrieved Feb 03, 2025, from doi:10.7759/cureus.36221
How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health. (2022, March 16). Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-mental-health
Khiron Clinics. (2022, March 18). The Relationship Between Trauma and Sleep. Khiron Clinics. https://khironclinics.com/blog/the-relationship-between-trauma-and-sleep/#:~:text=Trauma%20also%20affects%20how%20the,the%20traumatic%20event%20is%20processed.
Mental Health and Sleep. (2024, March 26). Sleep Foundation. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (n.d.). What Are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Retrieved 3 18, 2025, from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation#:~:text=Sleep%20deficiency%20can%20interfere%20with,sleep%20with%20no%20negative%20effects.
Seer Medical. (n.d.). Sleep Hygiene: What is it and why does it matter? seermedical.com. Retrieved Feb 3, 2025, from https://seermedical.com/blog/sleep-hygiene-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/
Swift, K. M., Thomas, C. L., Balkin, T. J., Lowery-Gionta, E. G., & Matson, L. M. (2022). Acute sleep interventions as an avenue for treatment of trauma-associated disorders. Journal of clinical sleep medicine:JCSM:official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine,18(9), 2291-2312. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.10074
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Sleep. CDC.gov. Retrieved Feb 3, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html
References
Alanazi, E. M., Alanazi, A. M. M., & Albuhairy, A. H. (2023). Sleep Hygiene Practices and Its Impact on Mental Health and Functional Performance Among Adults in Tabuk City: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cureus, 15(3), e36221. Retrieved Feb 03, 2025, from doi:10.7759/cureus.36221
How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health. (2022, March 16). Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/news/how-sleep-deprivation-affects-your-mental-health
Khiron Clinics. (2022, March 18). The Relationship Between Trauma and Sleep. Khiron Clinics. https://khironclinics.com/blog/the-relationship-between-trauma-and-sleep/#:~:text=Trauma%20also%20affects%20how%20the,the%20traumatic%20event%20is%20processed.
Mental Health and Sleep. (2024, March 26). Sleep Foundation. Retrieved February 25, 2025, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (n.d.). What Are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Retrieved 3 18, 2025, from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation#:~:text=Sleep%20deficiency%20can%20interfere%20with,sleep%20with%20no%20negative%20effects.
Seer Medical. (n.d.). Sleep Hygiene: What is it and why does it matter? seermedical.com. Retrieved Feb 3, 2025, from https://seermedical.com/blog/sleep-hygiene-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/
Swift, K. M., Thomas, C. L., Balkin, T. J., Lowery-Gionta, E. G., & Matson, L. M. (2022). Acute sleep interventions as an avenue for treatment of trauma-associated disorders. Journal of clinical sleep medicine:JCSM:official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine,18(9), 2291-2312. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.10074
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Sleep. CDC.gov. Retrieved Feb 3, 2025, from https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html