Having good sleep hygiene is an important element in managing fatigue following a brain injury.
Some tips
Get up and go to bed at roughly the same times during the week. This helps the body to adopt a rhythm.
Short naps (between 15 minutes and 1 hour) can also be effective and necessary to get through the day. It is best to be in a quiet place in bed and to avoid napping after 2 p.m. so as not to delay the bedtime routine in the evening.
If you can’t take a nap, take a moment to rest quietly, without too much noise or visual stimulation.
Regularly engage in physical activity (e.g., simply walking). If necessary, discuss this with your doctor or therapist.
If you have difficulty falling asleep or if you wake up at night:
- Reserve the room for sleep: avoid working there, for example.
- Avoid stimulating drinks (containing caffeine or theine, among other things) from the end of the afternoon onwards.
- Avoid stimulation in the evening: give up physical activity just before bedtime, minimize the use of your mobile phone, tablet or TV. Prefer quiet music or reading.
- Eat light meals in the evening.
- Stay hydrated throughout the day, but don’t drink too much before bed (so you don’t wake up at night to go to the bathroom).
- If thoughts are running through your head and keeping you awake, try a relaxation exercise to help you think about something else, for example: (Link to exercise: Observing thoughts), (Link to exercise: Observing the body).
- Try breathing exercises to relax (deep breathing in and out).
- If you find yourself in bed without sleep for more than 20 minutes, don’t hesitate to get up and sit in the living room until sleep returns. It’s important that the body can associate the bed with sleep.