7 Ways to Practice Healthy Sleep Hygiene when You're Home All Day

It’s an unusual time right now — we are socially distancing ourselves from most people in our lives. Many of us are staying home and limiting the amount of times we leave our house. We’re feeling it in our bodies, mind, and spirit. Social distancing protects our physical health but has negative impacts on mental and emotional health — including disruptions in sleep.

Sleep quality is a significant piece of mental wellness. It’s the topic of many questions I ask a new client — How’s your sleep? Do you feel rested? Are you sleeping more or less than you prefer? What wakes you (and keeps you) up at night? The amount of quality sleep you experience can help measure the impact of stress in your life.

We are all stressed. Routines have changed, our comforts may not be available, and we’re scared. If your sleep has been disrupted, you are not alone. Our brains are reacting to daily experiences of stress and fear — triggering the fight, flight, or freeze trauma response. When triggered, it can feel difficult to experience comfort or relaxation — accessing a calm state in the mind and body.

It takes practice to actively calm the nervous system and practice relaxation. So, it can be helpful to connect with consistency, a way of building in cues for the brain. Evening routines can calm the nervous system, relax the body, and remind our brain that it is safe to sleep.

Connect with the natural light cycle

Use the natural 24 hour light cycle to train your brain when to be alert and when to wind down. Open your windows in the morning, get natural light during the day, and turn the lights down in the evening. Opening my window shades has always been something I’ve done while getting ready in the morning. I’ve noticed it’s the first thing I want to do, which is now prioritized ahead of my morning cup of coffee. There’s something so refreshing about natural light, even on cloudy days. If possible — feel the sunshine on your face. In the evening, turn your lights down low. Watch the sun set; connect with your natural circadian cycle.

Protect yourself from blue light

Speaking of light — we are using electronic devices more than ever. Maybe you’re working from home, participating in virtual meetings, connecting with loved ones on virtual calls, or taking a class online. All of these devices emit blue light, which impacts our brains understanding of day / night cycles. It’s part of the reason why the suggestion is to limit screen time at night. The blue light tricks our brains that it’s daytime. “Stay alert!” blue light says to our brains.

My tip is not going to be to limit screen time. It’s essential right now. What I will suggest, however, is to protect your eyes from the blue light. After my second week of virtual therapy sessions, I promptly ordered blue-light protection glasses. Eye strain is legit — and as I look ahead at providing sessions virtually for a few more months, I know I must be proactive.

Most phones also have a “night mode” to enable. At first, everything on your screen will have an orange tint. Soon, though, your eyes adjust and the screen isn’t quite so bright. Also try out dimming your screen.

Again, I’m not going to tell you not to read on your phone in bed or turn off your phone 3 hours before bedtime. Why? Because I know I wouldn’t do that. So, make choices that support a healthier practice. It’s all about healthier — not perfect.

Introduce a cleansing ritual

While you’re brushing your teeth, extend your nighttime routine by introducing a cleansing practice. Take a shower, soak in a bath, or wash your face. If you have a favorite scented soap, use that. Warm water and a soothing scent create a sensory experience. Imagine washing the day away — allow everything that doesn’t serve you from the day run down the drain. Let it go.

Shift from nighttime pajamas to daytime yoga pants and back

Changing your clothing can have a significant impact on your overall mood and shift your energy. I’ve always been one to change clothes after returning home from work. Now that so many are working from home, the environmental cue shift is different. So, create your new version of work clothing. We’ve all seen the jokes about mix-matched professional attire; putting forth effort to look professional up top while hiding sweatpants below the camera during video conferences.

I’ve posted a few times on my Instagram story when I’m outside and wearing jeans. It takes effort some days!

It’s understandable to remain comfortable during the day, especially when working from home. Wear sweat pants, put on a cozy sweater, forgo pants with non-elastic waistbands. And even in your new form of comfort — see what it feels like to switch from one comfy outfit to another. Changing from daytime cozy clothes into nighttime sleepwear transitions your energy out of work-mode and into relaxation at home.

Imagine your bed as a sacred space

Protect your sleeping space as though it is sacred. Beds are for sleeping and intimacy. Try to limit watching tv or spending large sections of the day in bed. Read in bed? Totally okay. Watch tv for 30 minutes before you fall asleep? Again, totally okay. Spend 6 hours in bed working during the day? Eh .. might not be super helpful for your sleep hygiene. (Note: I’ll never tell you what you’re doing is wrong. It’s about setting up a toolkit that supports what you need.)

introduce White noise for the win

Or pink noise, or brown noise, or a box fan, or an app with the sound of rain. Ambient noise that filters out random sounds from your environment will be a constant sound reminder that it’s time to sleep. As you cycle through sleep patterns — light sleep to deep sleep — the white noise remains a consistent soothing sound.

Ensure that you’re using a white noise source that will not turn off during the night. Keeping it on for the duration of your sleep provides the calming environmental sleep cue, even as you shift from deep sleep to light sleep during your sleep cycles. Or, have it turn off shortly before you wake as a subtle notice that it’s time to wake up.

Be Kind to your brain

Lastly, treat yourself with kindness. Insomnia and low quality sleep can be so irritating. You are doing your best, dear one. This is a scary time and it’s expected that sleep will be disrupted. Catch sleep when you can and relax as much as possible. Know that as a community, we will heal — and get back to a healthier quality of sleep. Until then, remind yourself that you are doing what you can.

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