1. Shereen De Barr (soon to be Smith) DRC 3.2.10
Sleep Hygiene
Shereen De Barr (soon to be Smith)
DRC

2. How much do we need? Popular idea is 7-8 hours
Studies show we need 4-10 hours
Varies in lifetime
Newborn – 16 hours
5 yr old – 11 hours
Teens – 9 hours
30’s - <8 hours
70’s - <6 hours, and lighter sleep

3. Tell patients Reminder that lack of sleep will not “hurt” you
You will fall asleep eventually
Lying calm and relaxed can be as refreshing as sleep
Don’t look at the time
Tell yourself you don’t care if you sleep or not
Think pleasant thoughts – holiday/lottery winner

4. Worries keeping you up Get out of bed Sit somewhere comfortable
Write down the problems on your mind
Take each problem and write solutions
Write steps to reach solutions
Write obstacles you fear may prevent steps
Say “ok, that’s it for now. I can’t do anything more about it this time of night. I won’t worry till morning.
UNWIND – 30mins reading/music
Back to bed

5. Good Habits Don’t sleep in the day, max 25mins
Recognise you may not actually need more sleep
Surroundings
Food and Drink
Avoid Cigarettes
Avoid Alcohol
Consistency
Pre-sleep routine
Tiredness
Activity

6. Surroundings Too noisy? Too quiet? Too light? Too dark?
fan/white noise/earplugs/music
Too light? Too dark?
TURN OFF MOBILE/computer/lights
Mattress comfort
Only use bed for sleep and sex, don’t associate the bed with work
Too hot?
Experiment with windows open, low temp better, as body cools, goes to sleep

7. NO TV Television actually stimulates the mind, rather than relaxing it
Late night TV often violent
Light and noise
Wean off if you are used to it, better in long run

8. Diet Avoid eating a large meal within two hours of bed.
Make dinnertime earlier in the evening
avoid heavy, rich foods as bedtime snacks
A light snack before bed can help promote sleep
Glass of warm milk and half a sandwich
Whole-grain, low-sugar cereal
A banana and a cup of hot chamomile tea
Drinking lots of fluid may result in frequent bathroom trips throughout the night

9. Diet
Absolutely NO tea, coffee, hot chocolate or coca cola within 4 hours of bed – affects sleep hrs after drinking
Absolutely No cigarettes within 4 hours of bed – but nicotine withdrawal can wake you up..
Don’t drink alcohol

10. Exercise Exercise in morning or early afternoon Good for mental health
Causes increased tiredness

11. Consistency Go to bed and wake up at same time each day
Make your bedtime when you feel tired
Don’t break this routine on weekends, lie-ins reset your body-clock
If you want to change your bedtime, small increments, 15 minutes earlier or later each day

12. Don’t go to bed too Early
Do something mildly stimulating to prevent yourself from falling asleep too early
If you push though that window, you’ll catch your second wind soon and be able to stay awake until your normal bedtime—and sleep through the night

13. Getting back to Sleep Deep breathing Progressive muscle relaxation
Visualizing a peaceful, restful place
Stay relaxed
Do a quiet activity – reading, writing, ironing
Concentrate on relaxing, not stressing

14. References
Patient.co.uk
Mentor on the web (EMIS)