“Good Sleep” Life Style

Throughout my life and over the years of my practice the concerns of healthy sleep have always been of interest. Not only is sleep just a good idea, it is essential for a healthy mind and body. This has led many professionals to pursue education and practices related to sleep cycles, science, mental techniques (such as relaxation, guided imagery, self hypnosis/self talk and thought control techniques). Though all of this is very interesting and has its place, I have found that the basics are often missing that cause sleep disturbances from children to the elderly. So, what are the basics of healthy sleep practices (sleep hygiene)?


1.      Active day life: is the person stimulated and active enough physically and mentally during their day?  Sitting around not doing much is not natural for the body. Remember we are basically mammals. We used to roam the land and be outside most of the time. Physical activity is very important to our functioning for many reasons. 



2.      Daylight/Sunshine: is the individual getting enough sun (stimulation through our eyes and absorption through the skin)?  Sunshine affects our cholecalciferol levels (Vitamin D3) that impacts our energy and alertness. Sunlight also affects other hormones such as melatonin to work well. Melatonin regulates our daytime and nighttime cycles.

3.      Decreasing evening stimulation: is the person stimulating the brain visually, auditorially or physically before bedtime? For at least an hour before bedtime limiting the exposure to all stimulation makes a big difference. This includes not participating in mind challenging games/ videos, bright screens of electronics, and televisions, loud noise, or being too active physically. Calming activities are required and may have individual differences. Reading for most people is relaxing and for others it is very stimulating and hard to stop to go to sleep. Keeping the lights dim, the noise levels down and the environment peaceful supports restful sleep.

4.      Keeping regular sleep hours as much as possible: is the individual going to bed at healthy hours? This is very important. It helps to train our brains for sleep-time.  The latest research proves that our chemistry (hormones, neuroreceptors and other chemicals) actually re-sets every night.  This process requires 6 hours of restful sleep.

5.      Diet and nutrition: does the person feed their body correctly? There are many variables one can look at. Some of these are differing lifestyles, energy requirements, age, gender, and metabolic needs that all require various types of foods at specific times. Balancing what your body requires may take some education or research on your part. Carbohydrate loading is a term that athletes use for their increased caloric needs and intake in the days or hours before an athletic event.  Carbohydrates can also make one sluggish, relaxed and tired. They are often called nurture foods. Proteins keep our energy supply stable, prevent hypoglycemic drops (blood sugar drops), and helps us build muscle tissue. Fruits and vegetables provide the nutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants) that we need, fiber to keep our engine running clean and efficiently, as well as calories. I call fruit ‘nature’s candy’ to remind myself not to overdo it on the fruit. Fresh foods are higher in nutrients. Grazing on small amounts of healthy foods all day is better for us than eating large meals; it keeps our metabolism working all day and sources our brains and body steadily all day. Eating light toward the end of the day helps us sleep better and keeps the stomach acid from causing problems when we lay down at night. Not having any sugar-filled foods or caffeine four hours before bedtime helps our system calm down for sleep.

6.      Emotional/Mental Self-care: what is the emotional state before bedtime?  Obviously, having a heated or conflictual discussion just before bedtime would cause our adrenalin to take off. Being stressed much of the day can either exhaust us or wind us up. Lying down with much on our mind (worries, upsets, and preoccupations) does not turn our thinking machine down. Being willing to tell ourselves that we can do nothing at this time and to leave it to the next day can surprisingly work well. Self-talk can be useful here. “I give myself permission to let this go ‘til morning and sleep well tonight” is an example of a simple self-statement that will work over time. One also has to be willing not to be “entertained” by one’s own thoughts and worries, therefore dwelling on them.

This is a brief overview of some of the simple things one can do to improve your sleep hygiene. Often, this is all that it takes. If sleep issues persist after conquering these tips, intervention for physical health, anxiety, AD/HD, depression or other issues that disturb sleep may be necessary.

Yvonne Stumpf, Nurse Practitioner