Sleep Hygiene: Train Your Brain to Fall Asleep and Sleep Better

Sleep hygiene is an essential mental health skill.
When my clients come in for treatment for some of their challenges like depression, anxiety, or relational problems, one of the most common associated problems that they have is difficulty sleeping. This shows up as having a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or just feeling tired all the time. Getting enough quality sleep can make your brain function much better. You’ll be better at solving problems and feel more self-control. In this video we’re going to talk about how to train your brain to sleep well. This is called sleep hygiene

So how do we improve our ability to get sleep? We can train our brains to sleep better. Sleep hygiene means going through a routine that trains your body to know when to sleep. Like a muscle that strengthens with practice, sleeping well is a skill we can develop. Here are some essential skills to develop better sleep.

Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC, and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

About Me:
I’m Emma McAdam. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have worked in various settings of change and growth since 2004. My experience includes juvenile corrections, adventure therapy programs, wilderness therapy programs, an eating disorder treatment center, a residential treatment center, and I currently work in an outpatient therapy clinic.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
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[waxylayer]

So her tip is to :-
1. Have a strict sleeping schedule, u shld fix your own time for sleeping and waking up .
2. Have a night time routine - like take a bath, brush your teeth, change yourself into pyjamas and then read some calm book .
3. Cut the screen time 1 hour bfre bed, if you want to use the phone or tablet for reading books then turn your mobile to night mode ( yellowish light ) with the lowest brightness .
4. Don't read some unwanted news or work emails or Facebook feed that is quite stressful and depressing
5. Don't have heavy dinner before bed .
6 . During morning do something active like exercising for even 10 mins .
7. Cut down caffeine and alcohol and if u like drinking milk take it before going to bed .
8. Do something relaxing like meditation or joirnalling before bed .
9. Cut down the noise and light that can disturb your sleep .
10. Use your bed only for sleep and not for surfing the internet or watching movie .
The video is so informative ! Will try all the tips . Thank you so much ❤️

[familyaccount]

The thing is when I start reading I can't stop. The next time I glance at the clock, it's already 3 AM in the morning.

[inthrutheoutdoor]

Being on quarantine during the corona virus has my sleep all messed

[mohamedhamdy]

an hour without screens before sleeping is something really difficult

[reyandgiannis]

Good video, but there's nothing specific here. I recommend everyone to find the book called Forbidden Sleep Secrets. You'll be shocked by the secret sleep techniques it contains. It improved my life drastically

[hh-iyvc]

When I try to do a routine, it makes me more anxious. It makes me feel like sleep is unatural, like I'm forcing sleep.

[izzycameron]

me watching this at 1 am: ah yes cut out screen time

[Andrebandeirah]

wow She's really good at making people sleep. Her voice calms me down. head to bed right now

[MrMasterUploader]

Depression, anxiety and relationship problems, all 3 at once, for the last many months. Here I am on my phone at 4:30 am, trying to find a video to fall asleep to. I've been awake 36 hours at this point, and the slightly worrying thing is I'm STILL struggling to fall asleep. It has never been this bad. Just wanna say thanks for this video, it made me feel ok about my situation, and that I can get out of it. I will start the training of my brain tomorrow. I will definitely try that warm milk trick!

[jngfitness]

I recently turned 50 and I wake up every morning feeling like a 19-year-old gymnast as I swear by getting a nice dose of quality sleep, religiously!! It truly contributes to your fountain of youth!!

[carlosmadrid]

After watching 4 videos about sleeping habits, you explain everything professionaly yur awesome

[columbinafan]

The Person: "cut out screentime before bed"
everyone who is watching this at like 1am: *Visible self disappointment*

[MzShonuff]

I keep my phone in the night shift setting all day and recommend this for everyone. It really helped me when I was trying to establish good sleep hygiene.

[tjacree]

You are helping me so much. Because of you and a few other therapist on YouTube I am no longer avoiding my fear and anxiety but trying to deal with it and rewire my brain

[kxraxe]

I can literally feel my mind thinking of "Have i finally slept?" Like how could I sleep if im still concious?!? Ffs

[SpitMeOut]

I’ve been having insomnia lately and it’s only getting worse. I’ll be exhausted but just can’t seem to shut off my brain no matter what I do. I’ll even listen to asmr videos and it’ll distract my brain enough that I fall asleep but then once the video stops it’s like my brain starts up again. Thank you so much for your recommendations! I hope they help me :-/

[EmdrGreg]

I find it very helpful to get direct sunlight every morning when possible. Some time between 6:30am and 7:30am, I spend between 15 and 30 minutes in direct sunlight. It helps keep the biological clock set correctly, and it gets me into the habit of waking each morning rather than over-sleeping.

[simba]

Go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday

School: *am I a joke to you*

[helen]

Thank you, Emma McAdam. Your videos "Therapy in a Nutshell" are extremely informative and have helped me in times of difficulty, especially earlier this year. The advice you give is clear, practical and very useful and you give advice in an understanding and sensitive way which is very powerful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with everyone. May you be blessed too.

[mads]

I have been thinking about recording my teachers talking about history to make me fall asleep 😂