Top 5 Fridays! 5 Steps to Better Sleep

This Friday is all about sleep. Here are 5 tips recommended to promote improved sleep for the general public.

Reposted with permission from Dr. Cam Faller's instagram

Sleep Hygiene by Cameron Faller

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👉 LIMIT STIMULANTS - Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine all have been known to promote arousal and/or disrupt sleep. Finding out an individual's sensitivity or tolerance and either limiting a certain amount of time before bed or weaning off (i.e. nicotine) has been shown to promote improved sleep.
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👉 EXERCISE REGULARLY - This has been presumed knowledge with the caveat that you shouldn't exercise before bed but the evidence states that's not completely true. Promoting good wakeful habits of regular exercise has been shown to improve sleep quality and for some individual's exercising before bed can actually promote acute-body heating and have an antidepressant effect.
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👉REDUCE STRESS - Stress can precipitate both cognitive and physiological arousal which may lead to increased rumination or worry. Although not extensively researched, techniques such as mindfulness and relaxation both have shown preliminary evidence to reduce stress which may improve sleep.
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👉MINIMIZE NOISE - Utilizing either sound-reducing (ear plugs) or sound-masking (white noise) has been shown to improve nocturnal sleep episodes. Type, timing, and consistency should be dependent on the individual.
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👉 BUILD A ROUTINE - Scheduling regular sleep/wake times and reducing naps to less than 30 minutes has been shown to maximize the synchrony between physiologic sleep drive and circadian rhythm.
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It should be noted that a dynamic relationship exists between all these behaviors and trying to modify all of them at once may be more detrimental than helpful.
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Focusing on the most important, or disrupted, behaviors, and promoting healthy wakeful habits has been shown to have clinically meaningful effects for improving sleep quality for many individuals.
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"Aspire to Inspire"
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Reference: Irish LA, Kline CE, Gunn HE, Buysse DJ, Hall MH. The role of sleep hygiene in promoting public health: A review of empirical evidence. Sleep Med Rev. 2015;22:23-36.

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