Practicing Good Sleep Hygiene

These days with everything going on in our lives, it's very important to establish healthy sleep habits. Perhaps you can make this a New Year's resolution for 2021.

According to the Lansing State Journal and McLaren Greater Lansing, healthy sleep habits are very important for physical and mental health and overall quality of life.

It's very difficult for me personally to focus on healthy sleep habits, because I wake up at about 3:40 in the morning. Why so early? So that I can spend time waking up and prepare to do the morning show on 99.1 WFMK.

If you aren't practicing good sleep hygiene, it may cause insomnia, frequent waking and daytime drowsiness. (LSJ)

Let's take a look at five tips from experts to improve your sleep hygiene:

1. Follow a sleep schedule. This is so true. It's recommended that you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even if it's a weekend or a holiday.

2. No caffeine or nicotine five hours before bed. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can make it difficult to go to sleep after consuming them.

3. Shut off electronic devices an hour or more before bedtime. And yes, this means the bedroom television as well. Cell phones and other electrical devices emit blue light, which restrains the production of melatonin.

4. Create a good bedroom environment. Easy enough. Make sure your room is dark, quiet and at a comfortable temperature. It's very important to have a good sleep environment.

5. Wear comfortable clothing. It's important to have a comfortable bed and sleepwear. Make sure you aren't too hot or too cold, which could cause frequent waking at night.