Huffington Post: The stress and routine disruptions from the last few years have drastically affected our sleep. Here’s how to take back some control.
“If you’ve been using bedroom for activities other than sleep and sex, reclaim that space,” said Susan Rubman, a behavioral sleep psychologist at Yale Medicine and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Take all of those activities that are incompatible with sleep, and if you can, move them to another area of your home.
According to Lynelle Schneeberg, a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the director of the behavioral sleep program at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, you want to be asleep about 90% of the time you spend in your bedroom. Spending more time hanging out in your bedroom during the day is simply not conducive to sleep.
There’s power in having a soothing and reliable wind-down routine. Winding down for about 30 minutes each night can help you relax and tell your body that it’s almost time for sleep.
Your wind-down routine can be pretty simple — brush your teeth, wash your face, get into pajamas, and do a relaxing activity (read a book, listen to a podcast or do some gentle stretching).
