Sleep hygiene: 8 Steps to Better Rest by Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Mental Health Experts

Sleep hygiene is a science formulated to help people overcome disrupted rest by removing any barriers that a person might be unknowingly creating that prevent against deep and complete rest. According to the American Sleep foundation, 47% of Americans report poor quality sleep has affected their daily performance in the last month. As mental health counselors know, there is a significant relationship between sleep and well being. Finding solutions for better rest are vital when your health is on the line, research suggests that sleeplessness can accelerate cancer, erode cognitive performance, and it also impacts mental well being in a variety of ways. Did you know that not getting enough rest can activate many mood disorders including bipolar disorder, anxiety, or depression? In fact, sleep disruptions are a very common complaint among those who are seeking treatment for mental health disorders. Of course, most people have experienced a sleepless night as a result of a situational challenge or period of stress. There is a lot to lose when it comes to sleep but more than ever so many are so sleep deprived. By now you are likely wondering what you can do to enhance your sleep. This is where sleep hygiene comes into practice. There are some evidence-based ways to help you achieve a more restful state. Simultaneously, there are certain sleep disorders such as parasomnia, insomnia, and hypersomnia which should be ruled out with a medical or mental health counselor.

How Much Sleep Do I Really Need?

Most adults really need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both recommend at least 7 hours for adults 18 and older to support physical and mental health.

That might sound like a lot, but the data shows most people are not hitting that mark. According to the CDC’s 2024 National Health Interview Survey, 30.5% of U.S. adults reported sleeping less than 7 hours per night. That means nearly 1 in 3 adults are not getting enough rest on a regular basis.

Sleep needs can vary slightly from person to person. Some people function well on 7 hours, while others need closer to 9. The key is not just the number of hours but the quality of that sleep. The same CDC report found that only 54.8% of adults said they woke up feeling well-rested most days. That means almost half of all adults are waking up still feeling tired, even when they think they are sleeping enough.

If you are consistently sleeping less than 7 hours or waking up exhausted, your body is telling you something. A licensed therapist can help you figure out whether stress, anxiety, or other emotional factors are getting in the way of the rest you need.

Know your sleep type!

There are two primary types of sleepers, night owls and roosters, night owls are biologically programmed to sleep and wake a little later. Roosters crow at the sun, roosters, will do best to find a job routine that can be done early in the morning. Same goes for night owls, their peak performance will be later in the day. For both of these types of people, constructing a life that honors biology will do a lot for wellness and emotional wellbeing. For example, a rooster shouldn’t take the night shift if they want to feel their best.

Have a good routine

Routine is paramount to having improved quality and quantity of sleep. Find a regular hour in which you can rest. When you achieve a regular schedule, your body will be responding to multiple environmental cues that will help falling asleep and staying asleep easier. You should really be aiming for 7/8 hours per night so plan to go to bed that amount of time before your alarm clock will start buzzing.

What Is the Main Cause of Not Sleeping at Night?

The main cause of not sleeping at night is stress and an overactive mind. While medical conditions, caffeine, and screen time all play a role, mental and emotional factors are the most common reasons adults struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep.

When your mind is racing with worry about work, relationships, money, or health, your body stays in a heightened state of alertness. Cortisol, the stress hormone, stays elevated, and your brain has a hard time shifting into the calm state it needs to fall asleep. According to the American Psychological Association, 27% of adults report being so stressed that they cannot function on most days. That level of stress does not just disappear when you close your eyes at night.

The CDC’s 2024 data shows that 15.4% of U.S. adults had trouble falling asleep most days or every day within the past 30 days, and 18.1% had trouble staying asleep. These numbers point to a widespread problem that goes beyond simple habits.

If you find that stress or worry is the main thing keeping you awake, addressing the root cause matters more than any sleep trick. Working with a therapist who specializes in anxiety can help you identify what is driving the stress and give you tools to manage it before it follows you to bed.

Limit screen time at least an hour before bed.

Our eyes are brimming with light receptors which are impacted by the screens we look at. When you are reading your email or social media account your brain is getting a large dose of light that signals to wake up! Limit exposure to at least an hour before bed to give your brain a chance to relax.

Why Is Anxiety Worse at Night?

Anxiety is worse at night because the distractions that keep your mind busy during the day are gone. When you lie down in a quiet, dark room, your brain has nothing else to focus on, so it turns inward and starts cycling through worries, fears, and unresolved thoughts.

During the day, your brain stays occupied with tasks, conversations, and responsibilities. Those activities act like a buffer against anxious thoughts. But at night, that buffer disappears. Your mind is suddenly free to replay the argument you had, worry about tomorrow’s meeting, or run through worst-case scenarios.

There is also a biological component. Cortisol levels naturally shift throughout the day. In a healthy pattern, cortisol is highest in the morning and drops at night. But for people dealing with chronic stress or anxiety, cortisol can stay elevated into the evening, making it harder to relax. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders affect about 19.1% of U.S. adults each year, and sleep disruption is one of the most commonly reported symptoms.

If nighttime anxiety is a regular pattern for you, it is worth looking at what is underneath it. Sometimes what feels like a sleep problem is actually an anxiety problem that shows up most clearly at night. Therapy for depression and anxiety can help you address what is really keeping you awake.

Spending time outdoors in the morning

The light from the sun helps us to become more alert in the morning giving our bodies higher energy. By maximizing exposure in the early hours we can find our way to relaxation in the evening. If a morning walk is not your thing, some people enjoy ‘sungazing.’

Work out in the am

Multiple studies have shown that working out in the am morning hours does help fitness friends to sleep better in the evening. Interestingly however, having an evening work out has not shown any effect on sleep.

Can Overthinking Cause Insomnia?

Yes, overthinking can cause insomnia. When your mind keeps running through problems, replaying conversations, or imagining future scenarios, it stays in an active, alert state that makes it very difficult to fall asleep.

Overthinking activates the same stress pathways in the brain that prepare your body to deal with a threat. Your heart rate stays slightly elevated, your muscles stay tense, and your brain keeps producing stimulating chemicals instead of the calming ones it needs to wind down. Even though you are lying in bed with your eyes closed, your brain is still working as if it is the middle of the day.

This is one of the most common complaints we hear. People say they are physically exhausted but their mind will not stop. Research from the University of Pennsylvania found that people who slept only 4.5 hours per night for one week reported significantly higher levels of stress, anger, sadness, and mental exhaustion. The relationship goes both ways: overthinking causes poor sleep, and poor sleep makes overthinking worse the next day.

Breaking that cycle often requires changing the thought patterns that fuel it. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most effective approaches for this. It teaches you how to recognize and redirect the repetitive thought loops that keep your brain running at full speed when it should be shutting down.

Lengthen your exhale

When using your breath as a relaxation tool, you can activate your parasympathetic nervous system. It works like this, by lengthening your exhalation to be longer than your inhalation, for example inhale for a count of 6 and exhale for a count of 8, do this 10 times. This small but powerful technique is a potent relaxant as you are attempting to drift off to a deep slumber.

How Do I Shut My Mind Off to Sleep?

To shut your mind off to sleep, you need to give your brain something simple and repetitive to focus on instead of your thoughts. Breath-focused techniques, body scan exercises, and guided meditation are some of the most effective ways to shift your brain from thinking mode to resting mode.

The reason your mind races at night is that it has nothing else to latch onto. Giving it a single point of focus, like counting your breaths or slowly relaxing one muscle group at a time, interrupts the thought loop and allows your nervous system to calm down.

One approach that works well is extending your exhale, which the blog above describes. When your exhale is longer than your inhale, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the part of your body responsible for rest and recovery. Even 5 to 10 minutes of slow, focused breathing before bed can make a noticeable difference.

Consistent practice matters more than perfection. The first few nights might not feel like much, but over time your brain learns to associate these cues with winding down. We offer meditation and mindfulness support to help people build these habits into their daily routine so sleep comes more naturally.

Limit Caffeine

Be mindful of what you are consuming, the half life of caffeine is quite long, if you are drinking caffeinated beverages after 1 or 2 pm, it will still be in your system at 8 or 9pm. Try to limit caffeine to one cup upon waking and the same goes with sugar.

Try Essential Oils

Many people find that a calming essential oil will help them achieve a more relaxed and restful state. Scents such as lavender and chamomile are widely used as a part of night time routines.

What Mental Disorders Can Lack of Sleep Cause?

Lack of sleep can contribute to the development or worsening of several mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and attention-related conditions. Sleep and mental health have a two-way relationship: poor sleep increases the risk of mental health problems, and mental health problems make it harder to sleep.

The CDC has directly linked insufficient sleep to increased risk of both anxiety and depression. Research shows that people who consistently get less than 7 hours of sleep are significantly more likely to report frequent mental distress compared to those who sleep 7 to 9 hours.

Depression is one of the most closely connected conditions. People with insomnia are roughly 10 times more likely to develop depression than those who sleep well, according to research published in the journal Sleep. Anxiety and sleep deprivation also feed each other in a cycle that can be very hard to break without professional support.

The bottom line is that sleep is not a luxury. It is a basic need that your brain depends on to regulate emotions, process experiences, and recover from daily stress. If poor sleep has been affecting your mood, energy, or ability to cope, talking to a professional through online therapy can help you address both the sleep and the mental health side together.