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Sleep Hygiene Tip 9: Bedrooms Are for the 2 S's

Welcome to another Wisdom Wednesday, where we share evidenced tips, insights, and more. This week’s tip highlights how Bedrooms Are for the 2 S’s.


Your brain learns through associations. When you work, scroll, or watch TV in bed, your brain starts to link your bedroom to being alert instead of relaxed. Keeping your bed reserved for sleep and intimacy helps strengthen the connection between your bedroom and rest —making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.


Why It Matters

Your brain builds associations... When you work, scroll, or watch TV in bed, your brain starts to link your bed with being awake and alert. It can make it harder to relax and fall asleep at night.


How It Affects Sleep

Mixed signals make it harder to sleep. Working in bed can cause us to associate the bed with being more alert, and scrolling in bed can cause us to associate the bed with stimulation. However, sleeping in bed leads us to associate the bed with calm & rest. You want to keep the “sleep” signal strong by strengthening this association.


How To

Set clear bedroom boundaries. Work, study, and scrolling happen outside the bed. Keep the bedroom a calm, low-stimulus space. If possible, use a chair, desk, or couch for non-sleep activities.


References

American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2017). Healthy Sleep Habits. AASM Sleep Education. http://sleepeducation.org/essentials-in-sleep/healthy-sleep-habits.

Dewald-Kaufmann, J. F., Oort, F. J., & Meijer, A. M. (2014). The effects of sleep extension and sleep hygiene advice on sleep and depressive symptoms in adolescents: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 55(3), 273-283. doi: 10.1111/jcpp.12157

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Sleep deprivation and obesity. The Nutrition Source. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sleep/ Irish, L. A., Kline, C. E., Gunn, H. E., Buysse, D. J., & Hall, M. H. (2015). The role of sleep hygiene in promoting public health: A review of empirical evidence. Sleep

Medicine Reviews, 22, 23-36. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2014.10.001


Originally posted on LinkedIn

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