Online Therapy for Physician Burnout: Sleep Hygiene

In a previous blog, I talk about how to prepare for therapy to get the most out of it. The four things you should do to lay a solid foundation for therapy are:

 1) Visit your primary care physician.

2) Ensure you are getting the necessary amount of sleep.

3) Do daily movement.

4) Get the necessary amount of nutrition.

Before you make any changes in your life, be sure to talk with your primary care physician. If you haven’t met with your primary care physician in the last year, make your appointment now. Stop reading and schedule that appointment. Your primary care physician is your partner in health and they will make sure you are heading in the right direction health wise. 

In my previous line of work, I worked in the primary care setting helping people make lifestyle and behavioral changes. One of those lifestyle changes was to improve people’s sleep habits. Here are eight areas of sleep hygiene that will improve the quality of your sleep.

8 Tips to Improve Sleep

Consistency is King

Having a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed at roughly the same time and wake up at the same time. Do this everyday, even on the weekends. This consistency helps regulate your circadian rhythm and can eliminate the need for an alarm clock. In addition, it also helps create a solid routine.

Setup the Environment

Optimize the sleeping environment for sleep. Make your room as dark as possible with blackout curtains or using a sleep mask. Try to make it as quiet as possible by using a noise machine or earplugs. Sleep in a cooler temperature, roughly 64 degrees +/-4. Find the temperature that works best for you. 

Limit the electronics

 Word is the blue light from electronics messes with your circadian rhythm. Avoid television, tablets, computers, and your phone 30 minutes to an hour before bed. I know this is tough. Many of us are connected at the hip to our phones. Many of my clients often doomscroll before bed. You can replace the mindless scrolling with reading a book or listening to some relaxing jams. 

Relaxing Routine

Create a relaxing routine that lets your body know its time for bed. Take a bath, stretch out or foam roll, do a mindfulness practice like progressive muscle relaxation or deep breathing, read a book, listen to music or any activity that relaxes you. This sets your body up because it helps you relax, reduces stress, and helps establish that consistent sleep schedule.

Daily Movement

Daily movement can help with better sleep quality. Movement can help reduce stress and anxiety. It can help calm the mind. In addition, when you are regularly getting movement, this can help you get to sleep faster and contribute to a deeper and more restful sleep. Movement helps with regulation of your circadian rhythm. Also, getting movement overall helps with improved mood. 

Naps

Limit your naps to 20-30 minutes and try not to do them late in the day. Naps that occur later in the day can mess with your ability to sleep at night. If you are getting enough high quality sleep at night, you may not need a nap. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, a nap can be helpful.

Limit Stress

Limiting the amount of stress you have is good for your mental health and sleep. One way to limit and process your stress is through mindfulness practices. I write about 4 mindfulness practices in this blog. Give each of them an honest go. Try each of them multiple times. All of them work, and none of them work. Find which one works best for you. I personally find that deep breathing works exceptionally well for me. If you find yourself unable to limit or process your stress, reach out to me.

Avoid Stimulants

A few hours before bed, cut out the stimulants. Caffeine and nicotine do not help with your sleep. The point of a stimulant is to increase your alertness. By consuming stimulants before bed, you’re making it harder to relax and fall asleep. Stop intake of stimulants several hours before bed because some stimulants have a half-life of several hours. You aren’t helping yourself if you are taking stimulants right before bed.

Each of these strategies will help improve your sleep, and in turn, will improve your mental health. After visiting your primary care physician, I’d recommend everyone work on their sleep hygiene to improve their quality of sleep. These tips can improve the quality of your life. When you improve your sleep, life can change.

Reach out for Therapy for Physician Burnout

Address your physician burnout with therapy with Chris Rabanera. Take the first steps with a free 15-minute consultation. I offer online therapy in California, Michigan, and Las Vegas. As an experienced therapist, I specialize in physician burnout, grief counseling, anxiety, and depression. I also provide tailored mental health treatment for men.