Did you get a good sleep last night? Although I usually sleep great, I didn’t sleep well at all. Of course when I woke up this morning I was grouchy and I had a difficult time focusing all day. It was a great reminder to me of the importance of a good night’s sleep.
When I was getting my Ph.D., I learned that many mood and sleep disorders are caused or made worse by poor sleeping habits. For example, when you stay up late on weekends and sleep in when Monday comes it is hard to get out of bed and get to school or work.
Do not vary when you go to sleep or wake up by more than two hours. If you go to bed at 9:00 on a work night then staying up past 11:00 on Friday messes up your sleep schedule. In addition, most people do not get the amount of sleep their bodies actually need and as a result are constantly sleep deprived. If you want to know how much sleep your body needs you can try this little trick. Go to sleep at the same time each night for four consecutive nights and let your body wake up when it is ready to. When you wake up naturally on the fifth morning count how many hours you slept…that is how much sleep your body really needs.
There are two foundational components to getting good sleep:
1) Do not vary the time you go to bed or wake up by more than two hour.
2) Get the amount of sleep your body needs (for most of us this is between 8-10 hours per night).
This may sound a little boring, but boy does it work! Before I started living by the “Sleep Hygiene Rules” I didn’t know how bad I felt. Sixteen years later I can tell you I almost never break these rules because I can’t stand how bad my body and mood are when I do. How about you, are you getting enough sleep?
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Written By Dr. Steffanie Stecker
Dr. Steffanie Stecker a licensed psychologist and the owner and clinical director of Mountain Vista Psychology, PLLC.
In addition, she is a board certified neurotherapist (BCN E5669) and board certified in QEEG (QEEG-D). Less than 100 people world wide are board certified in QEEG, which indicates competency in reading QEEGs and choosing neurofeedback protocols. Dr. Stecker is passionate about brain based effective therapy and creating a safe relationship for her clients to create change. She loves what she gets to do each day!
2 Comments. Leave new
I also give them warm epsom salt baths before bed to help with sleeping (not every night)
Epsom salt baths are awesome! Thanks for the addition:)