You may have been considering possible signs you need a professional sleep study in our Orange County sleep center. Regardless of whether you visit your physician about your sleep related issues, we encourage you to improve your sleep hygiene to increase your chances of a restful night of sleep. While we are very happy to help you uncover your sleep related issues, it is important to help yourself as well!
Your sleep hygiene is the compilation of your habits and lifestyle that contribute to your ability to get a restful sleep. As important as any other part of your daily habits, ensuring you get a good night’s sleep is the key to avoiding several health and personal issues.
- Sleep when you’re actually ready to sleep. Don’t spend a great deal of time in your bed awake watching television or reading. It is best to do these activities outside the bedroom so you are conditioned to see your bed as a place to sleep. If you cannot fall asleep within 20 minutes, you are not ready for bed.
- Do not drink a lot of liquids before bed, and definitely avoid caffeine after the middle of the day.
- Do not exercise within about three hours of your bedtime. Exercise can help you experience a more restful (deep) sleep, but it is too stimulating to be done right before bed.
- Keep your bedroom quiet, a comfortable temperature, and dark.
- Do not multipurpose your bedroom as an office or play area for your children, etc.
- Avoid alcohol and tobacco before bed. Even if these habits make you feel “relaxed”, both alcohol and tobacco disrupt your sleep.
- If you can’t sleep, don’t force it. Get out of the bedroom and try to do something relaxing and mundane. The more “boring”, the better.
- Set a bedtime and wake time for yourself that you stick to consistently every day – even weekends.
If you have any of the signs of a possible sleep disorder, improving your sleep hygiene will not likely make a significant difference. If you notice you are choking in your sleep, angry when you wake, nodding off during the day or other issues, we recommend you do not delay in speaking with your physician.
Whether you need a sleep study or sleep apnea treatment, Orange County residents can count on the Southern California Sleep Disorders Specialists Sleep Lab to get help sleeping better, and sleeping safer.
Want more information about the Southern California Sleep Disorders Specialist Sleep Lab? – CLICK HERE
*If this is an emergency, please call 911 immediately.*