Yes, it sort of is. I first encountered the term sleep hygiene when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, as bipolar disorder and sleep problems like insomnia often come hand in hand. Sleep hygiene sounded an awful lot to me like brushing my sleep, since oral hygiene has a lot to do with brushing my teeth. We brush our teeth to keep them from getting cavities and having horrid scary breath. Sleep hygiene is something we can do to keep the bipolar brain from getting mental “cavities” and giving you horrid days and nights.
There are a number of things you can to to brush your sleep well so you feel like you have a fresh, minty chance at better days. Here are some of them.
- Brush your sleep daily.
Sleep every night. Even if you’re manic and don’t feel like it. Get help from your psychiatrist for sleep meds if needed, do meditation, pray, anything calming and not harmful to help get to sleep - Brush your sleep long enough every time you do it.
Make sure you get enough sleep every night. 7 to 9 hours is generally considered the proper amount, although your perfect amount of sleep may vary. - Sleep in a dark, quiet room.
Seriously. I thought this was nuts, but discovered that I sleep better in a really dark room. Dr. Jim Phelps has an interesting article on “Dark Therapy” that talks about why this might be. - Sleep on a reasonably comfy surface.
Falling asleep at the pc in an office chair doesn’t lead itself to sleeping well. Trust me on this one.
Go to bed and get up on the same schedule 7 days a week. I tell you, I hate schedules, but they do seem to help. So I compromised by deciding that I would go to bed within a 1 hour time frame every night and get up at the same time every morning.
I truly liked to go to bed at 6am and get up at noon. It felt normal and good to me. I’d read, though, that because of circadian rhythms the body (including the bipolar brain) does better with sleeping during the night time than during the day time. Much to my amazement, it made a worthwhile difference.
I know that everyone has a different situation. You may work evenings or have children or something else that makes So some things may need to be switched around a bit to fit with your life. These general ideas can help give you an idea how to start out, or remind you of something.
Sleep hygiene, like tooth brushing, doesn’t fix anything totally, or anything all at once. I felt a significant difference in my mood and energy within 2 weeks of starting my sleep brushing routine, though. That’s faster than most of the meds for bipolar, so I figure that’s darned good and I like it. I hope sleep brushing can help you out as much or more!
The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep. ~E. Joseph Cossman
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Babbled by Immi.
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