{"id":229,"date":"2024-12-05T11:14:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T16:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/?page_id=229"},"modified":"2025-11-21T13:29:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T18:29:45","slug":"sleep","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/mental-health\/resources-to-help-yourself\/common-concerns\/sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sleep is an important factor that impacts our stress, energy, and overall health and wellbeing.<\/h4>\n

We all know sleep is important, but sometimes it\u2019s hard to actually get enough. Start with these strategies to help you get the rest you need.<\/p>\n

Create a sleep routine<\/h3>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Try to go to bed and get up at the same time most days of the week. Create a ritual that helps your brain wind down, like shutting off bright lights and avoiding electronics.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Master the nap<\/h3>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep naps to less than 30 minutes. If you struggle to sleep through the night, avoid napping during the day, even if you are tired.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Use relaxation techniques<\/h3>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Use deep relaxation techniques to relax your body and mind. Try progressively tensing and then relaxing each muscle group, from your toes to your scalp.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Tend to your body's physical needs<\/h3>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aim for a balanced diet and avoid caffeine within 6 hours of bedtime so that it doesn\u2019t disrupt sleep. Move your body during the day to make it easier to fall asleep at night.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Create a supportive sleep environment<\/h3>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reserve your bed for sleep and intimacy, only, avoiding other activities like studying or watching TV in bed. A dark, quiet, and cool environment supports optimal sleep. Consider earplugs, white noise, sleep masks, or a fan to help create that environment!<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sleep is an important factor that impacts our stress, energy, and overall health and wellbeing. We all know sleep is important, but sometimes it\u2019s hard to actually get enough. Start with these strategies to help you get the rest you need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1301,"featured_media":0,"parent":233,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/229"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3503,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/229\/revisions\/3503"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/shs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}