Q) What is meant by sleep hygiene?
A) Sleep hygiene is a set of daily practices that promote an healthy sleep and overall wellbeing. These are habits which when actively cultivated help in overcoming several sleep related health problems.
Q) But isn't sleep a natural phenomenon that occurs at the end of the day?
A) Yes, although sleep occurs naturally in line with change in daylight and body's own circadian rhythms, our sleep can become abnormal when changes occur in our environment and daily habits. It is especially true for our modern times with the advent of artificial lighting, television, smartphones etc., coupled with a decrease in physical labor in our day to day activities and reduced exposure to sunlight.
Q) What are the consequences of an improper sleep hygiene?
A) Sleep is essential to maintain normal functions of the human body. An improper sleep hygiene can directly lead to delay in onset of sleep, shorter duration of sleep, unrefreshing sleep, and disturbance in regular circadian rhythms of our bodily functions. All these can lead to lethargy during the day, poor concentration, irritable mood, anxiety, increased chances of road traffic accidents and an overall poor quality of life. More importantly, abnormal sleep puts the body under stress and leads to development, or worsening of hypertension, diabetes, abnormal heart rhythms, sclerosis of arteries, strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, obesity, depression, dementia and other such derangements in the long term. Adolescents and youth with improper sleep have been found to be more prone to indulge in illicit drugs usage with its own negative consequences.
Q) What are good sleep hygiene practices?
A) Sleep hygiene habits to be cultivated include:
- Maintaining a regular time for sleeping and waking up daily
- Ensuring a sleep duration of 7 to 9 hours
- Avoiding heavy meals at night, and eating at least 2 hours before going to bed
- Avoiding distractions like bright lights, television, laptops or mobile phone usage near sleeping time
- Avoiding caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea or energy drinks late in the evening, and limiting their overall intake during the day
- Avoiding smoking and alcohol intake
- Avoiding long naps during the day
- Engaging in moderate physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes during the day
- Ensuring adequate exposure to sunlight
- Practicing reading books, listening to music, or relaxing breathing techniques near sleeping time (winding down)
Q) Is there a right time to exercise for a healthy sleep?
A) Although exercise is good, doing moderate and heavy exercises late in the evening (after 7'o clock), or at night causes problems in sleep onset due to increased adrenergic drive. It can also interfere with digestion of food. On the contrary, a short walk after dinner is helpful for sleep and in keeping blood sugar levels under control, and is advisable.
Q) How does smartphone usage affect our sleep?
A) Multiple studies have shown that the usage of smartphones near to bedtime increases 'sleep latency' - the time taken for onset of sleep after going to bed. Smartphone screens emit excessive blue light which interferes with production of melatonin - the chemical in our brain necessary for onset of sleep. Also, usage of social media with its near endless content, designed to hold out the users' attention, leads to compulsive, aimless scrolling, triggering dopamine and adrenaline surges and interruption in sleep onset. Constant notifications from social media apps also cause interruptions in sleep. Using smartphones at night with blue light filters doesn't reduce the negative effects of compulsive scrolling on sleep, and so it is best to practice keeping away from smartphones at least an hour before bedtime.
Q) Is alcohol good for sleep?
A) No, contrary to popular beliefs, alcohol is not good for sleep. Although alcohol causes drowsiness and appears to induce sleep, the overall quality of sleep is poor with shorter Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage, brief, but frequent awakenings, vivid dreams and nightmares, and disturbance in breathing patterns (loud snoring, nasal congestion, mouth breathing). In addition, regular alcohol intake is known to cause multiple adverse cardio-metabolic consequences. Hence, it is best avoided as a sleeping aid.
Q) Is usage of sleeping pills advisable?
A) Using pills for inducing sleep, without a doctor's advice, is not good and can lead to harm.
Q) What about trying alternative therapies for good sleep?
A) Certain alternative therapies like Yoga, acupuncture, Reiki, aromatherapy with essential oils, massages etc., may help in relieving stress and anxiety, thereby promoting good sleep. They can be used whenever feasible. Food items such as kiwi fruit, tart berries and warm milk are traditionally known to promote sleep, and can be tried.
Q) What is the test done for detecting sleep disorders?
A) A Polysomnography (PSG) test, simply called a Sleep Study, is the gold standard for diagnosing sleep disorders. It is done by a specially trained sleep technician, upon the advice of a doctor.
Q) Is it good to track our sleep using smartwatches?
A) Yes, most smartwatches today come with software for sleep tracking and although not completely accurate, they do give us a fair idea of things like time taken for onset of sleep, total sleep duration, time spent in different stages like Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM), Deep Sleep, and Rapid Eye Movement stages, number of awakenings, and our regular sleeping and waking time. This data is useful for changing our unhealthy habits if any, and may also help in detecting few sleep disorders.
References:
3.
Sinha S, Dhooria S, Sasi A, Tomer A, Thejeswar N, Kumar S, Gupta G, Pandey RM, Behera D, Mohan A, Sharma SK. A study on the effect of mobile phone use on sleep. Indian J Med Res. 2022 Mar;155(3&4):380-386. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_2221_21
7. The impact of alcohol on breathing parameters during sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
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