Tools for Sleep

A nightly ritual can improve your mental health. 

Good sleep hygiene refers to adopting healthy habits and practices that promote quality sleep. It plays a crucial role in maintaining good mental health. Here are some reasons why good sleep hygiene is beneficial:

1. Restorative sleep: Quality sleep allows the body and mind to rest and recover. It supports the regeneration of cells, tissues, and neurotransmitters, promoting overall physical and mental well-being. Restorative sleep helps improve mood, cognitive function, and emotional resilience.
   
2. Mood regulation: Sufficient and restful sleep is essential for regulating mood and emotions. Sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality can lead to irritability, mood swings, and an increased risk of developing mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Good sleep hygiene helps promote emotional stability and a more positive outlook on life.
   
3. Cognitive function and productivity: Sleep plays a crucial role in cognitive processes such as attention, concentration, memory consolidation, and problem-solving. Adequate sleep enhances cognitive function, creativity, and productivity. It helps optimize learning and information processing, leading to better mental performance.
   
4. Stress reduction: Quality sleep contributes to stress reduction and better stress management. When we are well-rested, our bodies and minds are better equipped to handle and cope with stressors. Lack of sleep can increase cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and amplify the body's stress response, potentially leading to heightened anxiety and tension.
   
5. Improved decision-making: Sleep deprivation impairs judgment and decision-making abilities. It can lead to impulsive choices, reduced self-control, and poor risk assessment. Good sleep hygiene supports clear thinking, logical reasoning, and sound decision-making, enabling better mental and emotional well-being.
   
6. Mental health:  Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia, are often associated with conditions like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Maintaining good sleep hygiene can help prevent or reduce the severity of these disorders.
   
7. Energy and motivation: Quality sleep provides the necessary energy and motivation to engage in daily activities and pursue personal goals. When we are well-rested, we are more likely to feel motivated, have higher levels of energy, and experience a greater sense of vitality and well-being.
   
8. Overall well-being: Good sleep hygiene is an essential component of overall health and well-being. It supports physical health, immune function, and healthy aging. By prioritizing sleep, individuals can enhance their mental, emotional, and physical resilience, leading to a higher quality of life.
   

To establish good sleep hygiene, it is important to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, create a conducive sleep environment, practice relaxation techniques before bed, limit exposure to stimulating activities before sleep, and avoid substances that disrupt sleep, such as caffeine and alcohol.

Sleep Tips:

• Consistency. Make sleep a practice. Make relaxation a ritual. Try the resources below on a regular basis. Commit to a regular sleep ritual and stick to it for a month. 
• Make your bedroom a relaxing, nurturing, dark environment. 
• Avoid large meals shortly before sleep. 
• Monitor caffeine use. 
• Limit screen time before bed. Especially limit things like Twitter and TikTok that are fast moving, informational, and intentionally stimulating.
• If you're having a hard time "turning off your brain," journal or make lists. 
• Drop into your body with gentle movement or meditation before sleep. 
• Don't freak out. The worse thing you can do is judge yourself or spiral about your night affecting the next day. In fact, consider how can you lean into your current experience. 

Resources:
Gentle Movement
30-Minute Qigong for Sleep
30-Minute Yin Yoga
25-Minute Restorative Yoga

Yoga Nidra
30-Minute Yoga Nidra
​90-Minute Yoga Nidra

Body Scan Meditation 
30-Minute Body Scan

Sleep Stories
The Calm App's Sleep Stories

Not Resisting Our Experience
Saying Yes To Reality Meditation 
Meditation For Relaxing Into Sleep 

Supplements*
*Check in with your MD before introducing supplements
Magnesium 
Melatonin 
CBD
Ashwagandha 

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