03/12/2026
This week is National Sleep Awareness Week, which occurs on the toughest times of the year to sleep…when we spring forward and lose an hour!
There are many studies that show that improving your sleep also improves your mood, reducing anxiety, depression, and irritability. However, improving your sleep is easier than said than done.
So, here are a few tips for improving your sleep.
1. Give your brain some quiet time before bed. If you are engaged in tasks throughout the day, your brain does not have time to process your day or plan for the next one. Turning off electronic devices at least a half hour prior to bedtime helps.
2. Create a cool, dark environment to sleep (for most people, 68 to 72 degrees is best).
3. Utilize your bed primarily for sleep, rather than watching television or working. This conditions your brain to associate your bed with rest.
4. If you are unable to fall asleep in a reasonable amount of time, get up and engage in some minimally stimulating activity, such as reading or light stretching. When you get tired, return to bed.
5. Paradoxically, strong beliefs about the negative impact of sleeplessness contribute to insomnia. So, do your best not to catastrophize regarding a bad night of sleep.
Here are some helpful resources:
A good book address psychological treatments for insomnia is Say Goodnight to Insomnia by Dr. Gregg Jacobs with the Harvard Medical School.
The National Sleep Foundation has a website dedicated to National Sleep Awareness Week.
https://www.thensf.org/sleep-awareness-week/
If we can help with these issues or any others, please contact us at (334) 887-4343!