Sleep hygiene
- Advice for taking care of a built up need for sleep (homeostatic factor)
- Exercise regularly, but finish at least 3 hours before bedtime.
- Avoid sleeping during the day (if needed, allow an afternoon nap for under 20 minutes).
- Do not stay in bed longer than the expected hours of sleep.
- Advice to preserve good circadian rhythms (cirkadian factor)
- Stand up at about the same time every day, including weekends.
- Get at least 30 minutes of daylight daily, preferably early in the morning (within 2 hours of getting up ).
- Avoid exposure to bright light if you need to get up at night.
- Advice to reduce activation in the evening and night (habits and behavioral factors)
- Avoid coffee, tea and other caffeinated drinks after 17:00. Smoke also disrupts sleep.
- Use of alcohol to induce sleep is discouraged. Alcohol may facilitate sleep, but gives restless sleep with many awakenings and poor sleep quality.
- Avoid vigorous exercise during the last hours before bedtime.
- Avoid being hungry or consuming heavy meals at bedtime.
- Use the bedroom to sleep in, not to work.
- Make yourself a bed time ritual.
- Provide dark, calm and moderate temperature in the bedroom.
- If neede, use a mask and earplugs.
- Do not look at the clock if you wake up at night.
- Learn a relaxation technique, use it during awakenings.
- Set a "problem hour" after dinner or early evening, where you think through your worries and problems. Avoid taking with you concerns and issues to bed.
- Advice about sleep restriction and stimulus control
- Limit the time you spend in bed to the time you actually sleeping, i.e. ____ hours.
- Go to bed only when you are sleepy.
- If you do not fall asleep during a short time (15-30 minutes): Get up and do something else until you again become sleepy. It also applies awakenings at night. This is repeated as often as necessary throughout the night.
- Arise at the same time each morning, regardless of the number of hours of sleep.
- The bed / bedroom is used for sleep and sex. Do not read, eat or watch TV in bed.
- Do not sleep during the day. It disrupts the circadian rhythm and reduces the need for sleep.
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