Fitness technology is a beautiful thing: it can tell us all sorts of information about ourselves, from heart rate to stress levels to estimated VO2 maxes to our quality of sleep. Ever since I invested in a new smart watch, the latter has been something I’ve been privy to for the first time.
I absolutely love to sleep. Newborn babies and toddlers commonly inconvenience parents by staunchly refusing bedtime, but that was never me. The thought of a good night’s rest is thrilling to me! Naturally, getting data on my sleep has been very exciting.
This brings me to last weekend, when I checked my sleep scores from the past week. My Garmin watch calculates a nightly score out of 100 based on data points, including heart rate, heart rate variability, and body movements that signify the length of time spent asleep and the proportion of that time spent in different sleep stages (Source: Garmin). My scores for the week were:
Monday: 56
Tuesday: 76
Wednesday: 82
Thursday: 89
Friday: 71
This means my average sleep score for the week landed at a measly 74.8 out of 100, with my lowest score of the week in the 50s and my highest score not even reaching the 90s. The last time I hit a score in the 50s or below was the night of my birthday, when I went to sleep after my birthday rager at 3:00 am and awoke a mere 3 hours later to study for my last final of the semester. So, as a self-declared sleep fanatic, a score in the 50s on an average week was simply unacceptable. Not to mention, I had felt groggy and exhausted all week.
It became clear to me that, for some unexplainable reason, my quality of rest was suffering. So, I turned to the internet to look into an intriguing concept: Sleep hygiene. My mission? Spend the next five days trying new strategies for improving my sleep.
What is sleep hygiene?
According to Harvard Health Writer Jessica Solodar, sleep hygiene is simply “a set of practices and routines that help you get better sleep.” Think of it like any other type of hygiene: for teeth hygiene, we brush, floss, use mouthwash, and regularly schedule dentist appointments. These habits help us maintain strong and healthy teeth! Similarly, there is a set of habits that helps us maintain a healthy quality of sleep. Solodar writes that these practices allow us to experience benefits like “physical maintenance and repair, immune system boost, and emotional and cognitive renewal.”
Conveniently, my new best friend Jessica shared five main tips for improving sleep hygiene — one for each of the five days of my mission. The tips were as follows:
- Making your sleeping environment comfortable and conducive to uninterrupted sleep
- Keeping a consistent sleep schedule of seven to nine hours per night for most adults
- Following a bedtime routine that helps you fall asleep
- Establishing daytime habits that optimize restful sleep at night
- Tailoring these practices for your own best results
By the time I nailed down my plan, it was Sunday evening. The experiment was about to begin. I decided that I would implement one tip per day and check my scores at the end of the week to gauge the impact. Would I feel better? And would the data reflect the changes I was making? Only time would tell.
Night one: Sleep Environment
In order to make my sleeping environment comfortable and conducive to uninterrupted sleep, I had to start with the little things. I changed my sheets, retucked my blankets, and put satin pillowcases on my pillows. Additionally, as a broke college student, I don’t have the luxury of trivial things like headboards; however, I decided to place some of my decorative pillows at the head of my bed to add a cushion and barrier between my head and the wall.
I also ensured the ambience of my bedroom was just right. Solodar reports that cold, dark, and quiet are three key conditions conducive to uninterrupted sleep. Thus, I turned down the AC and turned on my fan, drew my curtains in addition to closing my mediocre quality blinds to block out any additional light, and turned on my air filter to mask any disruptive noise (I’m looking at you, constant TCU construction). I also chose to plug in a lavender air freshener for a gentle and relaxing scent in the room.
Night two: SLEEP SCHEDULE
Did you know that a consistent sleep schedule is more beneficial to sleep quality than sleeping until noon on the weekends? I sure didn’t, but The National Sleep Foundation let me know that one should aim to keep their sleep schedule as consistent as possible, adding in only an extra hour or two at most if you need to catch up on sleep.
As college students, our schedules tend to vary from day to day since we only have certain classes a few times a week. However, a consistent bedtime and wakeup time improves alertness, stress management, and overall health, according to The National Sleep Foundation. So, night two meant it was time to fix my sleep schedule.
My most productive hours are in the morning, so despite the fact that I don’t have class until 10:00 am on my earliest days, I decided my consistent wakeup time would be 8:00 am. By counting backwards and shooting for a healthy nine hours of sleep, I determined that my bedtime should be 11:00 pm. So, on night two, I turned out the lights at 11:00 pm and was on my way to dreamland.
Night three: Bedtime Routine
Why should morning routines get all the hype? Turns out, bedtime routines are just as important and can be just as aesthetic. And no, your nightly 3-hour TikTok scroll doesn’t count as a bedtime routine, in case you were wondering. In fact, your phone should not make an appearance for the entirety of your bedtime routine. Solodar does not recommend stressful or stimulating activities before bed, and I fear short-form content, sensationalized news blasts, and celebrity drama don’t make the cut. Womp womp.
What they don’t tell you about when you set a sleep schedule is that counting backwards nine hours isn’t quite enough. Your “bedtime” is the time that you actually need to be asleep. So, you probably need to be in bed 15-20 minutes before that, depending on how much time it takes you to fall asleep. I learned this on night three.
For my 11:00 pm bedtime on night three, I actually started getting ready for bed at 10:00 pm. I powered off my devices, took a relaxing shower, did my skincare, and got in bed. Then, instead of scrolling, I read a book for about 15 minutes. And wouldn’t you know it, by the time I did all of those calming, low-stimulating activities, I was ready to drift off to sleep right at 11:00 pm.
Night Four: Daytime Habits
This may be obvious to some, but it was a bit of a revelation to me: our daytime habits have a big impact on our quality of sleep at night. Here are some rapid-fire things to consider and routines that I practiced on day and night four:
- Avoid exercising before bed (exercise in the morning instead)
- Avoid caffeine in the afternoon
- Avoid stimulants like nicotine
- Consume evening meals at least three hours before bedtime
- Avoid alcohol in the evenings
- Only use the bedroom for sleep (work and study elsewhere)
My interpretation of these habits is mainly an extension of avoiding stimulants, like exercise, substances, and digestion, around bedtime, which can disrupt the relaxing, calming vibes. Additionally, keep your bedroom a sacred space by designating it a sleep-only zone, so your body will associate it with rest, not stress.
Night Five: Customize
On night five, it was time to put it all together. I had created my ideal sleep environment, cultivated a consistent sleep schedule, followed a bedtime routine, and tailored my daytime habits to benefit my sleep. I found that, for me, I gained the most benefits from maintaining a darker and quieter environment, exercising early in the day, reducing caffeine intake, and bumping my bedtime routine a bit earlier to hit my goal bedtime time. By focusing on these components, I felt I had finally perfected my sleep hygiene. So, when I woke up, it was time to put it to the test by checking the data.
My sleep scores for my week of fixing my sleep hygiene were as follows:
Monday: 85
Tuesday:82
Wednesday: 93
Thursday: 92
Friday: 89
These scores brought my updated average sleep score to an 88.2, improving my average by a whopping 13.4 points (a nearly 18% increase). In terms of qualitative data, while I still felt sleepy on occasion, I felt a significant improvement in my focus, productivity, and motivation.
Honestly, y’all, I did not expect my sleep quality to change much, but I can hardly argue with the data or the way I felt. Improving my sleep hygiene did, in fact, improve my quality of sleep, and in turn my quality of life.
So now, I challenge you: assess your environment, sleep schedule, bedtime routine, and daytime habits. See where you might make improvements and make some small changes. Try it for just one week and see how you feel. Changing your sleep hygiene might just change your entire life.