Struggling with Fatigue? How is Your Sleep Hygiene

With the days getting longer and the sun rising earlier, now is a great time to evaluate your sleep hygiene. If you’re struggling to get a good nights rest the some of these tips might be for you!

Get up at the same time EVERY morning, regardless of how much sleep you got the night before. Use an alarm clock. A regular wake-up time will help set your biological clock. If you feel you must sleep in on weekends or holidays, allow yourself up to 1 extra hour.

Restrict your time in bed. Only go to bed when you are drowsy. Get up if you are not feeling close to sleep within 20 minutes. Likewise, when you wake up in the morning, get up. Do not lie awake in bed. You want to consolidate and deepen your sleep by sleeping only as much as you need and not spending too much time awake in bed.

You cannot make yourself fall asleep. If you are in bed 20 minutes and you are still not close to falling asleep, get out of bed, go to another room, engage in a quiet activity (read, listen to music or a podcast, watch a soothing TV show, watch or listen to ASMR) until you feel drowsy, and then return to bed. Do not fall asleep on the couch or in your recliner, but rather return to bed when you feel drowsy. You want to make your bed the place or cue for sleep (not the couch or recliner). You may need to repeat this step more than once throughout the night.

Quiet activities and soothing audio can help your body and brain get ready for sleep. You can try a guided meditation on the Calm app or a music streaming app. On Spotify, check out Sleep Cove or Caverncast podcasts for soothing voices. Look up Restful Rambles or ATMOSPHERE for ASMR on tiktok or youtube. You can also find white noise on most platforms or buy a noise machine.

Use the bed only for sleep and sex. Do not read, watch TV, eat, scroll social media, play video games, worry, talk on the phone, or plan your day in bed. You want to establish the bed as a cue for sleep and not as a cue for other activities that are incompatible with sleep.

Establish a pre-sleep ritual. Schedule some "down" time right before bed. This is not the time to check your email or have that heart-to-heart talk with your partner. Those things need to be done earlier. Schedule time early in the evening for working on problems or planning the next day's "to-do" list. Right before bedtime is the time to relax, calm down, and let your body and mind slow down before hitting the bed. Set up a regular routine before bed: brush teeth, put the dog out, lock the doors, set the alarm, etc.

Do not nap during the day. Sleeping during the day disrupts sleep at night. If you must nap, try to keep naps to less than one hour and finish them by 3 p.m.

Exercise regularly: For insomniacs, the best time to exercise is in the late afternoon or early evening, but not within 3 hours of bedtime. Exercise helps deepen sleep and reduce stress.

Food and Fluids: Do not go to bed hungry; however, avoid a heavy meal before bed. Finish eating your evening meal at least 3 hours before bedtime. Do not snack in the middle of the night, or you may encourage nightly awakenings for food. Decreasing liquids close to bedtime will minimize nighttime bathroom trips.

Caffeine has a half-life of 3-7 hours and interferes with everyone's sleep, even those who deny it. Discontinue caffeine 4-6 hours before bedtime. This includes iced tea, colas, Dr. Pepper, Excedrin, chocolate, Sudafed, and all sorts of other things you never suspected. Read the label.

Alcohol or cannabis near bedtime may help you sleep in the first part of the night, but causes multiple awakenings later in the night and shortens sleep overall. Try to avoid alcohol 2 hours before bedtime.

Nicotine is a stimulant, even though smokers claim it helps them relax. If you must smoke, reduce the rate of smoking before bedtime and do not smoke if you wake up in the middle of the night.

Noise: Insomniacs are usually hypervigilant and thus are more sensitive to noise. Consider earplugs or a white noise machine (or even a bathroom exhaust fan) to block out noises

Temperature in the bedroom: 75° is too hot and increases awakenings; 54° is too cold and can cause bad dreams. Insomniacs often report being hotter than good sleepers. Find a bedroom temperature that works for you. Most people prefer 60°- 68°.

​Comfort: Make sure your bed is comfortable, and you have the right amount of light/darkness in the bedroom that works for you.

Clock Watching: You will either sleep or you won't, and watching the clock does not facilitate sleep. In fact, clock watching usually just causes anger or anxiety, neither of which helps with sleep. Try not to look at the clock if you can't sleep.

Exposure to bright light in the morning will help if you have sleep onset insomnia. Sitting in front of a southern exposure window (without sunglasses) for at least 30 minutes every morning should help decrease your time to fall asleep at night. Try this for 5-7 mornings.

Using cell phones and other devices can contribute to insomnia by reducing the production of melatonin (due to the blue light) and increasing mental stimulation. Stop using your phone at least 30 minutes before getting into bed and put it into do-not-disturb mode. Consider using a classic alarm clock rather than your phone to wake up in the morning if the distraction is too tempting.

Natural sleep aids include melatonin, herbal/sleepy time tea, camomile tea, and valerian root. Some use benzodiazepines (benzos) and THC to induce sleep, but those are habit-forming and can create a dependency. Benzos are not meant for daily use, are highly addictive, and should only be used as prescribed.
Prescription meds may be helpful in some cases. Individuals with PTSD can talk to their doctor about trying Trazodone.

Sleep tight and may you find good rest tonight!


Modernized & Adapted by McKayla Robinson from "Instructions for Better Sleep" by Bertelson Washington University Sleep Center, March 2005

McKayla Kagie Robinson, MS, PLMFT is a therapist at Healing Reflections Therapy, currently accepting clients to help you if you are struggling to manage your sleep challenges.