Bad Sleep Habits to Avoid

Getting a good night's sleep can take some planning and better sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene is an everyday habit that can help you get good, consistent sleep. During times of stress or changes to your schedule, it's important to keep up with sleep hygiene to help reduce seizures and avoid these bad sleep habits.

Changing When You Go to Sleep

Falling asleep at different times each night will affect your sleep and may worsen seizures. Changing when you go to sleep by a few hours or more from night to night can cause restless sleep or needing to nap the next day.

Try sticking to a consistent bedtime even on the weekends to keep your sleep pattern and reduce the chance of triggering a seizure.

Remember, if you are taking an anti-seizure medication that needs to be taken at a specific time, stick to that time. Even if you have trouble sleeping one night, take your medication at the usual time.

Learn how to make taking medicine easier..

Evening Exercise

Exercise is important for a balanced lifestyle while staying mindful of your exercise routine. Aerobic exercise, which is stimulating and gets your heart beating faster, can be disruptive at night when you are trying to wind down for bed.  

Healthy options to avoid activities that can disrupt sleep:

• Finish any exercise at least 5 hours before bedtime.
• Switch out nighttime exercise to relaxation techniques like meditation, gentle yoga, or listening to calming music.
• Prepare for the next day’s exercise by gathering equipment or planning a walking route.

Learn how to start exercising safely.

Caffeine Intake

Caffeine can help get us through the day, but it is also a big contributor to sleepless nights. According to the article "Effects of caffeine on sleep quality and daytime functioning," 90% of American adults consume caffeinated beverages almost daily.  

To get the benefits of caffeine without the setbacks of suppressing sleep, limit caffeinated drinks to the morning and stop drinking them around noon. There are often substitutions to your favorite caffeinated drinks like getting decaf coffee, caffeine-free teas, and flavored sparkling water.

Late Night Screentime

Avoid watching TV or playing video games within an hour before going to bed. In addition to the blue light exposure from screens, people who have photosensitive epilepsy may have a harder time resting.

Blue light from screentime before bed can decrease sleep quality and amount of sleep, according to "The influence of blue light on sleep, performance and wellbeing in young adults: A systematic review."  

• Adjust your screens’ settings in the evening to reduce blue light.
• Reduce screen usage an hour or so before going to bed.
• Replace your usual screentime with a book instead.

Non-Bed Activities

Avoid making a habit of spending time in bed doing other activities that may be stressful or stimulating, like working, studying, watching TV, or scrolling on social media. Mixing these activities with a relaxed space can make it more difficult to fall asleep. When you keep your bed just for sleeping, it can help your mind associate the bed with relaxation for better quality sleep.  

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