Sleep Hygiene Part 2:

The Quiz Explained

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In the last post, we gave readers a quiz to help them evaluate their

sleeping habits so they can maximise their chances of getting a good

night’s sleep.

After all, a lot of mental problems can either be caused by or made worse by poor sleeping patterns.

Improving our sleeping habits can be a practical step that we can all

take in order to improve our overall wellbeing.

Yes, sometimes emotional problems, stress and grief can sometimes

cause sleeping problems, and we suggest that you find some help for

dealing with this problem, via hypnotherapy or through some other form of counselling that reaches the deep levels of your

being.

Those of you who took the quiz might like a bit of explanation

regarding some of the answers and the questions in it.

There wasn’t enough space in the last post to talk through the

answers, so here goes…

Question 1: Pre-bed routines

Explanation:

When we go to sleep, we need to minimise the amount of adrenaline, the stress hormone, buzzing around

in our systems.

It is usually a good idea to have a bedtime routine that will help your

body know that it’s time to wind down and go to sleep.

But the key phrase here is “wind down”. If you’re buzzing with

adrenaline, you’ll find it harder to drop off. The activities you do as part of the wind-down will affect the amount of adrenaline in your

system.

Relaxing activities such as a hot bath, aromatherapy and massage are best – they get your body into that soothed state where you’re ready to just close your eyes and

drift away.

Processing the day’s thoughts and events by journaling can also help

you unwind and lay aside any issues and worries, so this can also fit nicely into a bedtime routine.

However, journaling can also make you revisit some of the tough situations of the day, so it can

sometimes be counterproductive.

Reading is also good for unwinding, as it wakes up the creative side of your brain and your imagination,

and it can take your mind off your worries.

However, there is the danger of getting thoroughly absorbed in the plot and staying up far too late just reading one more chapter because you have to find out what happens

next…

Watching TV and playing video games is one of the worst things to

do before bed, even though you might think it’s relaxing.

You’re not using your imagination to unwind as you watch, and what you watch often gets your heart

rate up, etc. because the exciting bits stir up your emotions and your

adrenaline.

If there’s an absolute must-see on the box, then either record it for

later, or else allow for a bit of wind-down and processing time once the

movie’s over.

Question 2: Suppertime foods

Explanation:

We all know that certain foods are stimulants. Others are more

relaxing, as they get the body producing the more relaxing

hormones, especially serotonin.

Food that contains tryptophan is the best, and you’ll find this in

bananas and in milk, as well as in milk-based products such as cheese

and yoghurt.

Having a snack with complex carbohydrates (in bananas or in

crackers) and protein (cheese and milk) also provides you with long-lasting energy to get you through

the night without waking up hungry.

Alcohol is a double-edged sword regarding sleep. Yes, it is a natural sedative (and the hops in beer are

known as sleep-inducing herbs).

Shakespeare summed it up nicely when the Porter in his Macbeth

said that the three things provoked by drink are “sleep, nose-painting and urine”, and if you drink a pint

before bed, you’ll be waking up in a couple of hours to visit the small

room.

Furthermore, the quality of sleep you get when you use alcohol to

help you drop off is pretty poor – you miss out on some of the REM sleep that we need for our brains

to refresh themselves.

Stimulants should be avoided before sleep. This includes all

caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, cola drinks and the like, and

also includes dark chocolate.

Save the chocolate for a lunchtime pick-me-up – we’re not so heartless

as to say you should avoid it altogether.

Questions 3 and 4:

Other bedroom activities

Explanation:

Have you ever noticed that even if you weren’t feeling the urge to “go”, you suddenly feel it if you open the lavatory door, even if you were just

dropping off the supply of loo paper after buying the groceries or if you’re going in there to clean it?

This is because our bodies know that this room means that particular bodily function.

And you can train your body to act the same way about the bedroom so

that it knows that when you’re in there, it’s time to sleep.

The more non-sleep activities we do in our bedroom, the less likely we are to train this association (it’s almost a reflex) into ourselves.

At the very least, your non-sleep activities should be fun.

The bedroom is also our most private space, so keep it for the

most private activities – keep work out of it as much as possible.

If your bedroom is also your workspace, work will be associated with the room, and you’ll have your workspace staring you in the face

last thing at night and first thing in the morning.

If you can’t rearrange the other rooms in your house to give yourself space elsewhere for your computer

workstation, try arranging your room so the computer isn’t where

you can see it first thing (try a screen or covering it over with a

throw).

And you should never do computer work sitting up in bed.

Above all, you should avoid doing things that are likely to cause you

stress last thing at night,

so even if this is your one and only work space (e.g. if you live in a

bedsit or trailer home, or if you are a student renting a bedsit),

do the things that you’re most likely to fret over at a different time of

the day so you can save the fun stuff for the end of the day.

We’re running out of space and we’re only halfway through the quiz

questions, so you’ll have to come back next week for the third

article in this series.

This article is brought to you by:

Hypnotherapy Brisbane

positivetranceformations.com.au