{"id":258,"date":"2019-03-28T14:40:38","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T18:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trestlewoodcounseling.com\/?p=258"},"modified":"2019-03-28T14:48:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-28T18:48:40","slug":"more-than-rest-the-importance-of-sleep-hygiene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trestlewoodcounseling.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/28\/more-than-rest-the-importance-of-sleep-hygiene\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than Rest: The Importance of Sleep Hygiene"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WNj1Y11t_x8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We all have heard that the goal is to get 8 hours of\nsleep a night, but do we do that consistently? Most likely not. I will admit\nthat I, too, am one of those people who in the past felt proud that I could\noperate on minimal sleep, while in reality I really needed no less than 7 hours\nto actually FEEL good. The National Sleep Foundation updated their recommended\nhours of sleep in 2015. The recommendations are as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Newborns (0-3 months): Sleep range narrowed to 14-17\n     hours each day (previously it was 12-18)<\/li><li>Infants (4-11 months): Sleep range widened two hours to\n     12-15 hours (previously it was 14-15)<\/li><li>Toddlers (1-2 years): Sleep range widened by one hour\n     to 11-14 hours (previously it was 12-14)<\/li><li>Preschoolers (3-5): Sleep range widened by one hour to\n     10-13 hours (previously it was 11-13)<\/li><li>School age children (6-13): Sleep range widened by one\n     hour to 9-11 hours (previously it was 10-11)<\/li><li>Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range widened by one hour to\n     8-10 hours (previously it was 8.5-9.5)<\/li><li>Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7-9 hours (new\n     age category)<\/li><li>Adults (26-64): Sleep range did not change and remains\n     7-9 hours<\/li><li>Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7-8 hours (new age\n     category)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;Looking at\nthose recommendations and still not hitting the mark? The purpose of sharing\nthis information with you is because sleep is not just about rest. Sleep\neffects every part of our being. It effects both our physical and\nmental\/emotional health. It assists our bodies systems to work better and most\nimportantly, helps what is perhaps the most important organ, our brain, to\nfunction best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harvard Health reports \u201cAmericans are notoriously\nsleep deprived, but those with psychiatric conditions are even more likely to\nbe yawning or groggy during the day. Chronic sleep problems affect 50% to 80%\nof patients in a typical psychiatric practice, compared with 10% to 18% of\nadults in the general U.S. population. Sleep problems are particularly common\nin patients with anxiety, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\/mind-and-mood\/six-common-depression-types\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">depression<\/a>, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit\nhyperactivity disorder (ADHD).\u201d While there are 70 different types of sleep\ndisorders the research supports how sleep can overlap with mental health\ndisorders or at minimum make symptoms worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Yeah,\nHeather, getting sleep is exactly what I try to do but I when I do lay down I\nlay there wide awake for an hour. <\/em>Preach my friend! I, too,\nhave been known to struggle with this exact issue and at various points in my\nlife mild insomnia; stress being a HUGE trigger. However, the major thing to\nthen focus on outside of the triggers to what is bothering us at night is consistent\nsleep hygiene. The Sleep Association defines sleep hygiene as \u201cbehaviors that\none can do to help promote good sleep using behavioral interventions.\u201d While\nthe National Sleep Foundation defines sleep hygiene as \u201ca variety of different\npractices and habits that are necessary to have good nighttime sleep quality\nand full daytime alertness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While a blog post isn\u2019t going to be the quick fix to\nchanging sleep patterns, I want to give some tips to help develop sleep hygiene\nhabits that may assist in getting those ZzZz\u2019s in each night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Limit technology- Put down your cell phone, tablet, computer or even the TV. There are recommendations to do this an hour before bed but I also realize that for many people that isn\u2019t always possible. So aim for 30 mins MINIMUM each night. The backlight of technology interrupts our body\u2019s ability to produce melatonin and respond to our natural sleep and waking needs\/cycles. <\/li><li>Establish a regular bedtime routine: Warm shower or bath, reading a book, listening to relaxing music (Key: relaxing. Throw a little Ray Lamontagne on)<\/li><li>Make sure the room is dark<\/li><li>Make sure the bed (or bedroom) is used only for sex and sleep. Yep, sex and sleep. Not for TV watching or reading- snuggling into that cozy couch for that. <\/li><li>Avoiding stimulating activities like exercise before bed (exercise does promote healthy sleep and overall healthy lifestyles\u2026. Just don\u2019t run 10 miles or pump out reps before laying down. Too much stimulation for your body to rest. Aim to exercise before 2PM).<\/li><li>\u00a0Have a comfortable sleep environment<\/li><li>Avoid naps if possible. If a nap each day is necessary limit it to 30 minutes.<\/li><li>Consistency: Setting a consistent bedtime-wake time and sticking to it. Okay, as best as you can on the weekends but otherwise STICK TO IT. Go to bed at the same time. Wake up at the same time. Ideally, your schedule will remain the same (give or take 20 minutes) every night of the week. Maintaining the consistent sleep schedule after a few weeks will improve overall sleep and is helpful in maintaining overall health.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>What if you wake up and can\u2019t fall asleep? The Sleep Association recommends to not lay in bed for more than 5-10 mins. Instead they suggest that if your mind is racing or worrying about not being able to fall asleep in the middle of  the night to: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cGet out of bed, and sit in a chair in the dark. Do your mind racing in the chair until you are sleepy, then return to bed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No TV or\ninternet during these periods! That will just stimulate you more than desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*** Note: If\nthis happens several times during the night, that is OK. Just maintain your\nregular wake time, and try to avoid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sleepassociation.org\/about-sleep\/how-long-should-i-nap\/\">naps<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Give it a few weeks before judging\nwhether these tips do or don\u2019t work for you. If after a few weeks of consistent\nfocus on sleep hygiene results in continued struggle, it may be important to\nconsult your medical provider for further support and assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.heathernlettow.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Heather Lettow, MA, LPC,\nLMFT <\/a>serves individuals (age 10+), couples and families. She focuses on\nidentifying individual or family goals and strengthening self awareness to\nfacilitate change and to meet the goals set; utilizing mindfulness, CBT and\nsolution focused problem solving techniques.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all have heard that the goal is to get 8 hours of sleep a night, but do we do that consistently? Most likely not. I will admit that I, too, am one of those people who in the past felt proud that I could operate on minimal sleep, while in reality I really needed &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/trestlewoodcounseling.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/28\/more-than-rest-the-importance-of-sleep-hygiene\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;More Than Rest: The Importance of Sleep Hygiene&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8SSLF-4a","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":244,"url":"https:\/\/trestlewoodcounseling.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/12\/welcome-to-winter-identification-and-treatment-of-sad\/","url_meta":{"origin":258,"position":0},"title":"Welcome to Winter! 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