Overview:
This module introduces the concept of a ‘Sleep Hygiene Checklist’, a tool that facilitates behavioral change aimed at improving sleep quality. Sleep hygiene encompasses both environmental and behavioral aspects.
Topic Summary:
- Sleep hygiene is generally split into two categories: environment and behavior.
- Optimizing the sleep environment, which encompasses factors such as temperature, light, noise, smell, and comfort, can all play a role in sleep improvement.
- Behaviors that can aid sleep include setting your biological clock by getting sufficient light during the day—especially in the morning
- For some people, eating close to bedtime disrupts sleep onset, presumably because it may prevent the body from lowering core temperature–an important trigger for sleep.
- Other helpful tactics for optimizing sleep include: maintaining a healthy bedtime routine, and limiting caffeine and alcohol.
- As they work on their sleep hygiene, patients can use their checklist to help make changes to environment and behavior and monitor their response.
- The patient may also include personal factors such as work, family conditions, or medical issues should be considered in the checklist.
