Improving Sleep Hygiene for Better Rest and Health

In 1988, eight young women and I went on a 6-week canoe trip in northern Saskatchewan. For six weeks we slept in a large dome tent, with a pink and blue fly made of gortex to protect us from rain. We strategically moved a place over each night and lay our heads so that they were all in the centre of the tent, easy to connect with one another and say goodnight. Sure enough, as time progressed, we developed a routine for sleep, singing the song MLK by U2. What a beautiful way to end the day, and a beautiful way to fall asleep. I am so grateful for that experience.

A glowing tent nestled against rocky terrain with a backdrop of shimmering northern lights.

I hope you enjoy sleep as much as I do because this post is dedicated to 'sleep'. I would like to share a sleep hygiene with you that I put together over the years, as an Inclusion Teacher in the public school system. I combined information I received from various occupational therapists I have worked with over the years. My apologies in advance for not citing the sources used for the information I am sharing with you.

Suggestions on How to Improve Sleep Hygiene for Health

1. Bedtime and wake-up time should be the same every day, as much as possible so that the body gets used to a SPECIFIC WAKE/SLEEP CYCLE. Avoid exercise 3 hours before bedtime and do try to keep the bed you sleep in at night only for that purpose.

2. POWERDOWN: Try using a power down hour before bedtime. During this hour, engage in a quiet routine. About 1 hour before bed, start playing relaxing background music in the home and have a light sleep friendly snack, (see below) and perhaps a warm bath. The warm bath raises body temperature; as the body cools down, it is easier to fall asleep. About a half hour before bed, engage in mental unwinding. This may include reading or being read to, doing puzzle, Lego, etc. It should not include exercise, computer, iPhone, video games or television.

3. SLEEP FRIENDLY BEDTIME SNACK. The best bedtime snack is one that has both complex carbohydrates and protein and perhaps some calcium. Calcium relaxes the nervous system by helping the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin. For this reason, dairy products, which contain both calcium and tryptophan are one of the top sleep-inducing foods. You may try any of the following foods that appeal to you or family member:

a. Almonds: Almonds contain both tryptophan, an amino acid that acts as a sedative, and magnesium, which acts as a muscle relaxant.

b. Bananas: Bananas contain melatonin and serotonin, chemicals known to help the body sleep, as well as magnesium.

c. Milk and Dairy Products: Milk and dairy products contain tryptophan and calcium, both of which help the brain effectively use tryptophan.

d. Honey: Consuming too much sugar before bedtime can keep you awake. However, eating just a little glucose before hitting the sack alerts your brain to stop producing orexin, a neurotransmitter that keeps us alert. Add a little unpasteurized honey to your tea or milk prior to bedtime.

e. Chamomile Tea: Chamomile tea’s mild sedating effect has helped many restless people fall asleep. You can add milk and unpasteurized honey.

f. Oatmeal: Oatmeal contains melatonin, which prepares your body for sleep. To increase its effectiveness, make your oatmeal with milk and top it with a drizzle of honey.

g. Whole-Wheat Bread: Eating a slice of whole-wheat bread will trigger your body to release insulin, which can help deliver tryptophan to your brain. Once in your brain, the tryptophan is converted to serotonin.

h. Air popped popcorn: with a bit of parmesan cheese.

4. In the evening, make sure you reduce the temperature in your home to between 18-20 degrees Celsius.

5. The bedroom should be DARK. This includes light from alarm clocks and any kind of blue/green spectrum light. If light is necessary for anxiety, try a small red night light as red spectrum light does not interfere with melatonin in the way that blue and green do. Make sure curtains block out all light. If you or any of your family wakes up during the night to use the bathroom or because of night terror, stay in the dark. Don’t switch the bathroom light on.

Rest easy and enjoy the passing of winter as it melts into spring.

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If you are curious about what hypnotherapy offers, book for a free 1-hour consultation with Pat Barker, Whole Brain Hypnotherapist, Life Coach, and Inclusion Teacher.

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Pat Barker is the founder of Mother Tree coaching & hypnotherapy. She believes that empowered women and mother roots (generations) are similar to the thriving nature of trees in a forest. Once we connect with ourselves, understanding what is going on below the surface, we can heal ourselves. The *Mother Tree in a forest is "an elder tree that helps forests recover from events like fire or logging, by transmitting information through below-ground root and fungal networks." (S Simard)