Sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene? Where did I first hear that phrase? I don't recall. Possibly a TED Talk? I do know that when I mention it to my patients and clients they are intrigued by it. It's a novel phrase and a novel concept. I certainly didn't come up with it, but now it's something I live by.
Do you struggle with insomnia and/or getting good sleep at night? Do you wake up not feeling rested, but rather tired and fatigued? Have you ever thought about your patterns leading up to sleep? Did anyone teach you good patterns?
The World Health Organization defines hygiene as the "conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Woah! When you think about it this way SLEEP HYGIENE starts to make a lot more sense and is something we should all consider and develop healthy habits because sleep is so important to our wellbeing.
We are to spend 1/3 of our day, week, month, years, and lives sleeping. Yet, for the most part we just expect sleep to come. But often it doesn't. It is shy and elusive. We expect our mind and body to go from 60 to 0. It just doesn't happen. Most of us can’t just lay in bed, let our head hit the pillow and be out. How fortunate are those folks!
To have healthy teeth and gums and non-odorous breath and thus prevent things like cavities, root canals, gingivitis, and offending those we come into close contact with, we practice oral hygiene. We brush our teeth multiple times a day, we floss, we might use breath mints or mouth wash. We don't expect it just to happen. We are taught this from a young age from our guardians, and dentists, and do our best to follow through with it, for our own benefit throughout our lives.
Body hygiene is another thing we practice daily. We wash our hands, our hair, our body. We use soap and deodorant, we wash our clothes and sheets - all this to limit the spread of harmful germs and undesirable smells. It takes effort, but it's worth it for our quality of life. Again, we are taught this from a young age.
We need the same for sleep. We need to transition from the busyness of the day - with emphasis on productivity, planning, navigating and nurturing relationship - into rest, enoughness, and stillness. We need to do this to optimize our health, to allow the body to heal, and to prevent disease. It's something we should take seriously in the same repetitive, committed focus that we wash our mouth and our armpits!
What are ways we can do this? Comment below for ideas you have and practices you suggest.
Stay tuned for our next blog post to see a list and discussion of practices to incorporate in your nighttime routine.
Let’s get to the source, and TOGETHER, let’s get moving,
Elle (Liz)