Assessment and Diagnosis of Sleep Hygiene:
– Clinical interviews, self-report questionnaires, and sleep diaries are used for diagnostic assessments.
– Computerized tools like the Sleep-EVAL system aid in diagnosing inadequate sleep hygiene disorder.
– Measures like the Sleep Hygiene Index and Sleep Hygiene Awareness Scale assess practice and knowledge.
– Specific assessments like the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale are used for younger individuals.
Recommendations and Strategies for Improving Sleep Hygiene:
– Personalized recommendations are provided by clinicians to enhance sleep quality.
– Counseling serves as a form of patient education for better sleep practices.
– Resources on sleep hygiene are available in print and online for implementation.
– Organizations like the National Sleep Foundation and CDC promote sleep hygiene awareness.
Factors Affecting Sleep Quality:
– Sleep schedule consistency, avoiding stimulants before bedtime, and engaging in relaxing activities before sleep impact sleep quality.
– Creating a quiet, dark, and cool sleep environment, choosing comfortable bedding, and removing distractions like clocks are crucial.
– Behavioral and psychological treatments, light therapy, and specific considerations for depression and breathing difficulties influence sleep quality.
Special Populations and Sleep Hygiene:
– Sleep hygiene is central to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and varies among special populations like college students and shift workers.
– Lower socioeconomic status impacts sleep quality due to stress, noise, and light in the environment.
– College students may have irregular sleep-wake schedules and benefit from sleep hygiene education.
Benefits and Importance of Good Sleep Hygiene:
– Good sleep hygiene practices lead to improved cognitive function, mood regulation, and reduced risk of chronic health conditions.
– Establishing a sleep routine enhances immune function, physical health, and overall quality of life.
– Technology boundaries, environmental factors, nutrition choices, and establishing a routine all contribute to better sleep hygiene and overall well-being.
Sleep hygiene is a behavioral and environmental practice developed in the late 1970s as a method to help people with mild to moderate insomnia. Clinicians assess the sleep hygiene of people with insomnia and other conditions, such as depression, and offer recommendations based on the assessment. Sleep hygiene recommendations include: establishing a regular sleep schedule; using naps with care; not exercising physically or mentally too close to bedtime; limiting worry; limiting exposure to light in the hours before sleep; getting out of bed if sleep does not come; not using bed for anything but sleep and sex; avoiding alcohol as well as nicotine, caffeine, and other stimulants in the hours before bedtime; and having a peaceful, comfortable and dark sleep environment. However, as of 2021[update], the empirical evidence for the effectiveness of sleep hygiene is "limited and inconclusive" for the general population and for the treatment of insomnia, despite being the oldest treatment for insomnia. A systematic review by the AASM concluded that clinicians should not prescribe sleep hygiene for insomnia due to the evidence of absence of its efficacy and potential delaying of adequate treatment, recommending instead that effective therapies such as CBT-i should be preferred.
Sleep hygiene | |
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Specialty | Clinical psychology |
MeSH | D000070263 |