Enhancing Sleep Hygiene: Seven Approaches for Improved Rest

A harmonious daily life begins at night – with the quality, and quantity, of sleep one receives. Effective sleep cycles allow your body and brain to repair, recharge, and function optimally. It affects mood regulation, enhances memory retention, and improves concentration, while supporting immune function, metabolic processes, cardiovascular well-being, and healthy weight management. Receiving deep, nourishing rest is dependent on sleep hygiene – a set of healthy habits, behaviors, and environmental factors that promote consistent, quality sleep.

Dedication to progressing in the JIM (the journey in movement) begins with prioritizing sleep hygiene to optimize daily performance – moving one towards their goals with consistency and enthusiasm. Receiving adequate restoration beings with actionable steps taken before your head hits the pillow and enters various sleep cycles. It is vital to note the actions taken during the day impact sleep hygiene, and vice versa.

Below are seven unique daily habits for enhancing sleep hygiene, improving circadian rhythms, and revitalizing sleeping patterns. Explore the tips that spark inspiration to support counting more sheep – strengthening your vitality and keeping you moving effortlessly.

1. Shift your mindset around cleaning.

When cleaning your bedroom and restoration spaces, pretend you are your own paid housekeeper, and the currency collected is the quality of sleep received. Often, the trick to improving sleep is in the simple (yet tedious) steps of vacuuming the rugs, dusting shelves, washing the walls, tidying closet space, fluffing pillows and washing the bedding. Cleaning is prayer in action. Encourage yourself to enjoy cleaning by playing your favorite music, or habit stacking with a podcast, when pouring positive energy into the spaces by tidying, purging, and deep cleaning. The reward is offering yourself a welcoming, hygienic space to restore.  

2. Craft the ideal sleeping ambiance.

Interior design is art, the bedroom is the canvas, and you are an artist. Purchase bedding that matches your ideal color scheme and accent with artwork, plants, or design pieces that inspire and offer a sense of grounding. Utilize secondary lighting – such as lamps, twinkle lights, or Himalayan rock lamps – that provide subtle, gentle lighting to foster a restorative atmosphere. Use scents that promote restoration with candles, incense, or oil diffusers. Create the space to feel like a sanctuary (your personal oasis) to restore and rejuvenate in peace.

3. Contrast temperatures.

Regulate body temperature by cooling down your bedroom – utilizing open windows, oscillating fans, or air conditioning – and consider taking a warm shower prior to bedtime. Regulating your body temperature before bed promotes faster, and deeper, sleep by signaling the brain it's time to rest and increases melatonin production and facilitates natural cooling. This process of cooling the room and warming your body triggers vasodilation (the widening of blood vessels) in the hands and feet to release heat, improve sleep quality, and promote cardiovascular recovery.

4. Block blue light.

Due to the responsibilities and requirements of living in a digital world, it is nearly impossible to omit screens before bedtime. Professional responsibilities often require extended periods of work on a laptop, while addressing text messages to organize the next day is essential. Additionally, relaxing with family members by watching a film can foster both relaxation and positive social connections. If you cannot escape screens, block them with blue light glasses. These glasses have special lenses that filter out blue-violet light from digital screens and LEDs, reducing eye strain. When worn routinely, they lessen the harshness from screens, which alleviate symptoms like dry eyes, headaches, and blurred vision. When habitually used during screentime, blue light glasses counter the negative effects of light emitted from screens and support regulated sleeping patterns.  

5. Firm it up.

Sleep on firm surfaces to protect the health of your physical body. Invest in a firm mattress or try sleeping on the floor. Firm surfaces promote proper spinal alignment, which improves posture and enhances circulation while reducing strain on the body that can lead to chronic back, hip, or shoulder pain. At first, sleeping on the floor may seem odd, but when combined with comfortable sleepwear – such as a thick rug, soft blankets, and quality pillows – it may be the secret to unlocking optimal sleeping patterns. Furthermore, the benefits of sleeping on the floor include a cooler sleep temperature, relief from back pain, better posture, and a cost-effective method for spinal stabilization.  

6. Meditate with mundane tasks.

Finish your day with peaceful activities that activate alpha brain wave frequencies, shifting the mind into a relaxed, “autopilot” mode. This neurological state encourages the body’s nervous systems to steadily slow down, promotes stress relief, and reduces anxiety. Using the last few hours of the day engaging in meditative tasks – such as folding laundry, sweeping floors, knitting, coloring, gentle stretching, free writing, breathing exercises, self-massaging, or reading – encourages the body and mind to slow down, preparing it for a restorative night’s sleep.

7. Use your body & do not fear fatigue.

One of the best, if not the best, habits of receiving quality sleep is going to bed tired. When the body and mind are depleted from the days’ responsibilities, it will crave sleep. Experiencing fatigue in the evenings is a sign of a hard day’s work and directly leads to deep, restorative sleep. Engage in daily activities that challenge the body and stimulate the mind. Most importantly, do not fear tired hands or feet – as this is what it means to be human.

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Prioritizing sleep hygiene is an act of devotion to your future self. These methods invite you to rethink the way you prepare for, and receive, rest. Sleeping is more than a passive end to the day – it is a mindful ritual that strengthens your vitality, steadies your nervous system, and supports your journey in movement.

Small shifts can create meaningful change. When intentionally shaping your environment, taking actions to improve the physical body, and honoring your natural rhythms, sleeping becomes more than a necessity, but a form of nourishment. Explore which habits improve your sleep hygiene and consistently implement them into your daily life – transforming evenings into a sanctuary of serenity and greeting mornings with clarity, energy, and renewed enthusiasm for the day ahead. Rest well, move well, and lean on your nights to support the life you’re leading.

Are there any tips that resonated best with you? The comments section is a safe, judgement-free space. Please feel free to share below!

With love –

The JIM