Sleep…precious sleep. That’s what I said this morning when I tried to hit my snooze button, ended up hitting my “Hour” and “Alarm Off” button simultaneously, which resulted in me waking up an hour later thinking I was TWO hours late. 

How could I have avoided this? Sometimes late mornings can’t be avoided but in this case, (due to that old saying, “Hindsight is 20-20,”) I can see where I may have gone wrong the night before. Maybe staying up until 1AM to watch Arrested Development was a bad idea. Maybe taking a nap at 8PM was also not the best sleep strategy. We’re all humans, we all have weaknesses (mine just happens to be George Michael Bluth).

But enough about my hectic morning, because this is turning into a Livejournal entry. This week’s Wellness blog is about sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene does not mean showering while you sleep or napping with a toothbrush in your mouth. Sleep hygiene refers to “a variety of different practices that are necessary to have normal, quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness” (sleepMatters, 2003). Good sleep hygiene is important especially at times of transition (first week at University *hint hint*). You want to be awake, cheerful, and chipper so you can experience all the University of Guelph has to offer during Orientation Week (which includes attending one, or two, or all of The Wellness Centre’s O-Week events). We want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (like a Guelph squirrel, only less likely to steal Doritos from unsuspecting students eating lunch outside) for your first day of classes when you plunge into the world of academia after O-Week. So now you know the ‘what’ and the ‘why’. It’s time for the ‘how’. Here are a few tips to help you clean up your sleep hygiene:

• Naps, although delicious, are not helpful. This may seem counterintuitive, but napping can throw off your natural sleep rhythms and make it more difficult to sleep at night. If you must nap, try to sleep for less than 30 minutes, and do it early in the day.
• Limit caffeine and alcohol use. Both are known to disrupt sleep cycles. Be aware that many over-the-counter and prescription drugs may contain caffeine.
• Butt out. Nicotine is a stimulant that can make it difficult to fall asleep
• Get moving! 20-30 minutes of exercise a day, especially when done early in the day, can help you sleep better at night (along with a ton of other health benefits!). Avoid exercising at night or before you want to go to bed, however—it has a stimulating effect on the body.
• Go outside. Exposing yourself to bright sunlight in the morning helps reset your body’s natural circadian rhythms, which are light-sensitive. Keeping your bedroom dark will also help your biological clock to stay on track
• Get your iron. This is especially true for women. Iron deficiency can lead to problems sleeping.
• Try setting up a pre-bedtime ritual: Go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time everyday. This will help your natural sleep rhythms run properly. Make up a pre-bedtime ritual to further help condition yourself for better sleep. Before you go to bed, try to relax and do something peaceful that you enjoy, for example, reading, or having a cup of tea. Snacks may help, but try not to eat a large, heavy meal before bed. Try eating small amounts of protein, such as peanuts or warm milk—they contain the amino acid tryptophan, which may help the body relax and sleep.

 
Have a competition with your friends to see who can set up the best pre-bedtime ritual. Compete to see who has the best sleep hygiene (note: this does not mean who can sleep the longest – I think most of us are all naturally talented at this. That’s why the “Sleep Decathalon” was revoked as an Olympic event - too many people qualified.)
 
As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us (wellness@uoguelph.ca). We would love to hear from you! Sweet dreams, everyone!