Sleep hygiene consists in the adoption of a set of good behaviors, routines and environmental conditions related to sleep, which enable better quality and duration of sleep.
Practicing good sleep hygiene is very important at all ages, to organize the time and sleep rituals and avoid sleep disorders such as sleepwalking, night terror, nightmares, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, restless legs syndrome or insomnia, for example.
How to do good sleep hygiene
To do a good sleep hygiene, it is important to adopt the following measures:
- Stipulate a fixed time, to lie down and wake up, even during the weekend; If the person takes a nap, it should not exceed 45 minutes, nor should it be near the end of the day; Avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, at least 4 hours before bedtime; Avoid eating caffeinated foods and drinks before bedtime, such as coffee, teas, chocolate or soft drinks, such as guarana and cola; Practice regular exercise, but avoid doing it around bedtime; Do light meals with dinner, avoiding heavy foods, sugar and spicy; Leave the room at a comfortable temperature; Promote a quiet environment with low light; Keep away from devices such as cell phone, tv or digital watches, for example; Avoid using the bed to work or to watch tv; avoid staying in bed during the day.
See other strategies that help improve sleep quality.
Sleep hygiene in children
In the case of children who have difficulty sleeping or who often wake up during the night, all behaviors and routines they perform throughout the day and at bedtime, such as meals, naps or fear of the dark, should be evaluated., for example, in order to provide more peaceful nights.
Thus, according to the recommendations of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics, parents and educators should:
- Make dinner early, avoiding very heavy foods, being able to offer a light snack before the children go to sleep; Let the child take naps, but prevent them from occurring during the late afternoon; Establish fixed sleeping times, including at the weekend; bedtime, put the child still awake in bed, explaining that it is time to sleep and providing a calm and peaceful environment to induce sleep and make the child feel safer; create a routine for bedtime, that includes reading stories or listening to music; prevent the child from falling asleep with the bottle or watching TV; avoid taking children to their parents' bed; put a night light in the child's room if they are afraid of stay in the child's room, if he wakes up with fear and nightmares during the night, until he calms down, warning that he will return to his room after falling asleep.
Learn how to relax your baby, so he can sleep peacefully all night.
How many hours should you sleep
Ideally, the number of hours a person should sleep per night should be adjusted according to age:
| Age | Number of hours |
|---|---|
| 0 - 3 months | 14 - 17 |
| 4 - 11 months | 12 - 15 |
| 12 years | 11-14 |
| 35 years | 10 - 13 |
| 6 - 13 years | 9 - 11 |
| 14 - 17 years | 8 - 10 |
| 18 - 25 years | 7 - 9 |
| 26 - 64 years | 7 - 9 |
| + 65 years | 7- 8 |
Also watch the following video and find out what the best sleeping positions are:
