►Table 3.
Healthy Sleep Hyginne Recommendations.
| Healthy Sleep Hygiene ‘Top Ten’ Recommendations (source: UCSD Center for Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine patient information handout)[66] |
|---|
| 1. Don’t go to bed until you are sleepy. If you aren’t sleepy, get out of bed and do something else until you become sleepy. |
| 2. Regular bedtime routines/rituals help you relax and prepare your body for bed (reading, warm bath, etc.). |
| 3. Try to get up at the same time every morning (including weekends and holidays). |
| 4. Try to get a full night’s sleep every night, and avoid naps during day if possible (if you must nap, limit to 1 h and avoid nap after 3 p.m.). |
| 5. Use the bed for sleep and intimacy only; not for any other activities such as TV, computer or phone use, etc. |
| 6. Avoid caffeine if possible (if must use caffeine, avoid after lunch). |
| 7. Avoid alcohol if possible (if must use alcohol, avoid right before bed). |
| 8. Do not smoke cigarettes or use nicotine, ever. |
| 9. Consider avoiding high-intensity exercise right before bed (extremely intense exercise may raise cortisol, which impairs sleep). |
| 10. Make sure bedroom is quiet, as dark as possible, and a little on the cool side rather than warm (similar to a cave). |