Good sleep habits or what many call sleep hygiene, are simply things you do, or do not do to help you get a good night’s sleep. Good sleep habits set you up for consistent and uninterrupted sleep.

Improving sleep hygiene has little or no cost and virtually no risk. Creating a cool, dark and pleasant bedroom environment along with creating a routine of unwinding before bed is the main focus.

Having a set sleep schedule normalizes sleep while getting your brain and body accustomed to getting the full amount of sleep that you need.

Set Your Sleep Schedule

Many people assume having a set bedtime is most important for good sleep when this isn’t always the case. Having a definite wake up time regardless of whether its’ a weekday or weekend is often even more important for keeping a healthy sleep-wake cycle. Your sleep-wake cycle or circadian rhythm helps regulate your sleep patterns based on your internal body clock will help you avoid waking up throughout the night.

Circadian rhythms are not only for humans. Almost all living organisms have circadian rhythms - animals, plants and microbes.

The master clock is located in the brain and receives light signals from they eye’s retina that sends that information to the brain which tells your body to increase or decrease the production of melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that makes you sleepy.

Melatonin usually begins triggering the body to rest around 9 p.m. and starts slowing down around 7:30 a.m. If possible, expose your eyes to sunlight as soon as you get up to reset your internal clock for the day. This will decrease the melatonin production and help you wake up.

Staying active throughout the day will support your circadian rhythm and increase your body’s desire to fall asleep at night. So many of us live a sedentary lifestyle and moving about every 30 minutes will wake up our minds and bodies so we won’t be tempted to nape when we fell that afternoon dip.

Sleep hygiene is a great place to start when you are starting to experience sleeping problems, but sleep hygiene alone isn’t a cure-all. People who have serious sleep issues and want to reset their circadian rhythm without medications may benefit from a sleep coaching session.

What does a sleep coach do?

A sleep coach is trained to carefully listen for what might be keeping you up at night.

Then the coach works with you to approach insomnia in a new and different way. Sleep coaches help people improve their sleep and get back to focusing on other matters in their life while they return to restful sleeping again.

Before you hire a sleep coach, it is recommended that you see your doctor to make sure your sleep issues are not related to something like sleep apnea.

Important: Sleep coaching is not the same as seeking treatment for a diagnosis or medical condition. Please consult your medical professional if you feel you have a sleep disorder.

Would you like support in resetting your body’s natural sleep rhythm?

Schedule your FREE sleep consult.

During this call we will discuss your unique sleep issues or challenges, then we’ll both decide how to proceed.