We’re all about hand hygiene, but have you ever considered your sleep hygiene? These are defined as the habits you form to help you fall asleep.
We all know the importance of getting a solid seven or eight hours sleep a night, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. Especially when you’ve got a tonne of tasks on your to-do list and it feels like everything that could go wrong, does!
A good night’s sleep is crucial to overall health and wellbeing and some simple changes to your daily routine can make a genuine difference.
One of the major causes of sleep disturbance can be intrusive thoughts and worries. That’s why some psychologists suggest planning “worry time” each day to help alleviate those thoughts when you’re trying to rest and unwind.
If you’re a regular worrier, setting aside 20 or 30 minutes a day — well before bedtime — could help reduce the load when it’s time to hit the hay. That way, once you go to bed you can remind yourself that you’ve done your worrying for the day.
And if there are those last-minute thoughts that refuse to release, try writing them down on a pad by the bed and tell yourself you can return to them in the morning when you’re feeling rested and ready to launch into a new day.
