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Sleep hygiene
Also known as Sleep habits, Good sleep habits
Everyday habits and bedroom conditions that support good sleep, such as regular times and less caffeine. Useful for everyone, but on its own it does not cure chronic insomnia.
In Psychology
Sleep hygiene is the set of daily habits and surroundings that make good sleep more likely. The usual advice:
- Go to bed and get up at roughly the same times every day, including weekends.
- Avoid tea, coffee, cola and nicotine for about six hours before bed, and avoid alcohol.
- Keep the bedroom dark, quiet and as cool as you can — hard during summer loadshedding, when a rechargeable fan helps.
- Put the phone away before bed.
- Avoid long daytime naps and heavy late meals.
- Exercise regularly, but not in the few hours before sleep.
These habits help, but on their own they are not an effective treatment for long-lasting . The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends against using sleep hygiene as a stand-alone treatment for chronic insomnia. The treatment that works best is , which includes sleep hygiene alongside sleep scheduling, stimulus control and work on worried thoughts about sleep.
Where this comes up
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Related terms
- InsomniaSleeplessness, Chronic insomniaRegular difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep or waking too early, leaving you tired during the day. When it lasts three months or more it is called long-term insomnia.
- CBT for insomniaCBT-I, Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomniaA short, structured therapy that retrains sleep habits and unhelpful thoughts about sleep. It is the recommended first treatment for long-term insomnia, ahead of sleeping pills.
- HabitHabits, Habit formationA behaviour that has become automatic, set off by a familiar situation without much thought. Habits form by repeating the same action in the same context.
- BenzodiazepineBenzos, BenzodiazepinesSedative medicines — such as alprazolam (Xanax), bromazepam (Lexotanil), clonazepam and diazepam — that quickly calm anxiety and aid sleep but are habit-forming. For short-term use only, under a doctor.