These Frequent Nighttime Habits Are Killing Your Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important things we can do for our bodies to heal, recover, and strengthen. But many people don’t realize how much their nighttime habits can affect the quality of their rest. That’s where sleep hygiene comes in.
To better understand how to set yourself up for a good night’s sleep, Life & Style spoke with Yuki Shida, LMFT — an Asian American trauma therapist, EMDR specialist, and advocate for culturally responsive mental health care about what helps (and hurts) healthy sleep routines.
Shida explained that strong sleep hygiene starts with consistency and calming the nervous system.
“Good sleep hygiene comes from consistent nervous system regulation and it’s often easier said than done. The best sleep habits seem too simple but are highly effective and sustainable, such as having the same sleep and wake times every day, getting morning light exposure, limiting caffeine intake later in the day, and having a consistent wind-down routine that signals your nervous system to prepare for sleep.”
According to Shida, sleep is essential not just for feeling rested, but for overall physical and mental health.
“Sleep is essential for good physical health. Your body needs restorative sleep to restore its systems including the immune system so you won’t get sick.”
“Your brain needs deep sleep to process events, stressors, and learnings from the day,” she continues. “When sleep is chronically disrupted, people experience higher rates of irritability, difficulty concentrating, and worry.”
One of the biggest mistakes people make before bed is engaging in activities that stimulate stress rather than relaxation.
“Avoid behaviors that activate your stress response right before sleep such as scrolling social media, checking work emails, watching intense or upsetting content, starting a stressful conversation with your partner, or trying to make plans for the future. These activities activate your nervous system and signal that it needs to stay alert. It will be difficult to switch this off so that your body can start producing relaxing, safe signals that will facilitate quality sleep.”
By prioritizing calming routines and avoiding stress-inducing behaviors at night, you can significantly improve both the quality of your sleep and how you feel during the day.