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Mitchell Wagers

Professor Cassel

ENG 1201

15 November 2021

How can a person create better sleep habits?

Sleeping is an issue that many teenagers, young adults, and even adult’s struggler with

daily. Many times, it is due to poor sleeping habits. These habits often go unchecked, for long

periods of time, and lead to a constant lack of sleep. This begs the question; how can a person

create better sleep habits?

Sleep medicine and knowledge has changed vastly over the last few decades. The 1990s

were very important in discovering many common sleep disorders, and an even larger piece of

the sleep puzzle, that of REM sleep was discovered in the 1950s. These theories and discoveries

are v very important in understanding how sleep works. Understanding how sleep works, is

crucial to understanding how to better create sleep habits. If you know how it works, you are

better able to identify the causes of sleeping issues, and constant t better habits around those

issues.

Creating better sleep habits is easier said than done, however, it is much easier when you

understand how it works. The CDC shares a similar sentiment on their page for sleep disorders,

“Understanding how lack of sleep affects your health can allow you to make healthier decisions

for you and your family” (CDC). This website offers a look into many important factors

regarding sleep. It has resources for people who are struggling with sleep and offers many tips to
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improve sleep among those struggling. The CDC offers general ideas, such as a consistent

schedule, exercising, and avoiding food before bed. These tips can be better used to create

healthier sleep habits, as many struggling will not be following these basic rules.

Sleep habits are difficult to create. Many are common sense to some, but a lifetime of

countering them can lead to difficulty in following them, or even recognizing that the habits you

have built on your own are bad and need to be replaced. One common issue that many may not

understand at face value, is that alcohol is bad for your sleep. Many uses alcohol to fall asleep,

because of the preconceived notion of it causing you to black out and sleep. However, “Alcohol

is a sedative that slows brain activity. While it may induce sleep, it interferes with sleep during

the night, causing you to wake up frequently and have nightmares. It’s best to not drink alcohol

four to six hours before bedtime.” (MD Anderson Cancer Center).

Exercising is another habit many need to cut to encourage better sleep habits, but not in

the way many expect. Many see exercising as exhausting, as something to use to exhaust

themselves to fall asleep. However, this is counterproductive as it raises your heart rate, which

keeps you awake longer. “Although it is ideal to exercise for 30 minutes every day—and this

will likely ensure a good night’s sleep—doing it right before bed is probably a bad idea. It causes

difficulties as your body will be revved up when you should be winding down. It may raise your

body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.” (Brandon Peters, MD).

People can create better sleep habits by following very simple rules but following those

rules can be hard for some. This is due to the ingrained nature that has been imparted on many by

constantly redoing these bad sleep habits on a daily or regular basis. The key to creating better

sleep habits is to follow rules, consistently, and eliminating bad ones. Some other good sleep
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habits to follow are to, “Make your bedroom dark, quiet, cool, and comfortable. Use earplugs or

a sleep mask if you need to. Skip caffeinated beverages within 6 to 8 hours of bedtime. Don't

smoke. Nicotine is a stimulant, which can keep you up.” (Felson, Sabrina). These rules can be

hard to follow for some, but by following them the chances of building the habit increase.

Sleeping is a complex issue. There are still many unknowns when it comes to sleep, and

how it all works. However, there are many misconceptions about sleep as mentioned earlier that

are not understood, and often lead to the consistent building of poor sleep habits, rather than

good ones. The way to build better sleep habits, is to understand the bad ones, and focus on

eliminating them from your daily routines while incorporating the new and good ones into your

routine.
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Works Cited

Brandon Peters, MD. “How to Ruin Sleep: 10 Bad Habits and the Worst Ways to Cause

Insomnia.” Very well Health, Verywell Health, 10 Aug. 2020,

https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-10-worst-ways-to-ruin-your-sleep-3014992.

“CDC - Basics about Sleep - Sleep and Sleep Disorders.” Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 May 2017,

https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/index.html.

England, Russel, director. The Truth About Sleep, BBC, 2017,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08q8p13. Accessed 11 Nov. 2021.

Felson, Sabrina. “Your Sleep Checklist.” WebMD, WebMD, 18 Oct. 2020,

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/your-sleep-checklist

MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Brittany Cordeiro. “8 Healthy Sleep Habits.” MD Anderson

Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1 Oct. 2013,

https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/healthy-sleep-habits.h13-

1589046.html.

“Meet the Sleep Medicine Team.” Meet the Sleep Medicine Team | Treatment for Sleep

Disorders | Care for Insomnia, Narcolepsy, Parasomnias, & More | University Hospitals,

https://www.uhhospitals.org/services/pulmonary-and-sleep-services/sleep-disorders/find-

doctor.
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