How’s your sleep hygiene?

Regarding overall health and wellness, sleep is just as vital as regular exercise and a nutritious diet. Unfortunately, with modern society and all our distractions at our fingertips 24/7, it’s easy to find other things to prioritize oversleeping. As an adult, you need at least 7 hours of sleep to optimize brain function. Additionally, proper sleep has been linked to a lower weight gain risk, better calorie regulation, excellent athletic performance, a lower risk of heart disease, lower levels of inflammation, and a more robust immune system.

Your body will appreciate the extra Z’s, but so will your mental health—sleep has been shown to affect emotional and social intelligence as well as levels of depression.

Not sure if you’re getting enough quality sleep? If you’re waking up in the middle of the night or not feeling rested after an adequate amount of sleep, you could probably benefit from some changes.

I’ve learned from experience that many people don’t sleep well because they don’t have a space conducive to rest. Far too often, I’ll see bedrooms that double as offices, clutter all over the place, or hear clients say they do everything in bed, from checking their emails to eating meals. If you’re serious about getting a good night’s sleep, here are some simple steps you can take to turn your bedroom into a space that will put you at ease:

- Remove clutter, or at least keep it out of sight. Disorganization causes stress, which is not a feeling you want to associate with your bedtime routine. - Save your bed for the three S’s—sleep, sex, and sickness. This means no working, eating, or watching TV in bed. - Keep technology at a minimum. If you have a TV in your room, consider moving it out. That blue light is too stimulating for your eyes when trying to fall asleep. Instead, try falling asleep to a podcast, audiobook, or white noise. - Decorate on-theme. Loud colors usually energize you. They don’t put you at peace. If you have lots of different decorative items going on around your bedroom, try opting for neutrals instead and stick to a more minimalist aesthetic.