Sleep hygiene is a set of suggestions on good sleep habits meant to help people sleep better. It was first created to assist individuals with mild-to-moderate insomnia. ¹

Quality sleep is vital for both physical and mental well-being, but inadequate sleep is becoming a widespread public health issue. Numerous studies have highlighted a notable prevalence of poor sleep and insomnia in the Asian population. ² According to the 2012 Singapore Health study, 27.2% of participants experienced inadequate sleep. ^2,3

Studies have demonstrated that women, individuals from minority ethnic groups, people with obesity, and those of lower socioeconomic status tend to report poorer sleep patterns. ² Additionally, there is a positive association between short sleep duration and certain factors, such as age, ethnicity, an extended period between dinner and bedtime, snacking between dinner and bedtime, and poor mental health. ⁴

Quality sleep plays an important role in both mental and physical health: ⁵

Mental Health

Physical Health

Lack of sleep can make you excessively tired during the day, leaving you feeling unrefreshed and less alert upon waking. ^1,6 It can also disrupt your performance at work or school, as well as impact your ability to drive and engage socially. ⁵

You may be facing sleep deficiency if you find yourself dozing off during the following instances: ⁵

Here are several types of interventions to improve sleep hygiene: ^7-9

Behavioural interventions ⁷

Pharmacological interventions ^8-9

References

1. Irish LA, Kline CE, Gunn HE, et al. The role of sleep hygiene in promoting public health: A review of empirical evidence. Sleep Med Rev. 2015;22:23–36.
2. Lee YY, Lau JH, Vaingankar JA, et al. Sleep quality of Singapore residents: Findings from the 2016 Singapore mental health study. Sleep Med X. 2022;4:100043.
3. Tan A, Bin Y, Hong Y, et al. Self-reported sleep quality in a multi-ethnic Asian population. J Sleep Res. 2017;26:5–33.
4. Visvalingam N, Sathish T, Soljak M, et al. Prevalence of and factors associated with poor sleep quality and short sleep in a working population in Singapore. Sleep Health. 2020;6:277–287.
5. Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency – How Sleep Affects Your Health | NHLBI, NIH. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/health-effects. Accessed on: 21 November 2023.
6. Alanazi EM, Alanazi AM, Albuhairy A, et al. Sleep hygiene practices and its impact on mental health and functional performance among adults in Tabuk city: A cross-sectional study. Cureus. 2023;15(3).
7. Albakri U, Drotos E, Meertens R. Sleep health promotion interventions and their effectiveness: An umbrella review. IJERPH. 2021;18:5533.

About Frontier Healthcare Group

Frontier Healthcare (as part of the Qualitas Primary Care Division) runs 18 GP clinics, 2 Family Medicine Clinics (Clementi and MacPherson) and has 37 affiliated GP clinics under its Frontier Primary Care Network Program. Frontier Healthcare supports national schemes such as the Community Health Assist Scheme (Pioneer, Merdeka, CHAS Green, CHAS Orange, CHAS Blue), Baby Bonus, Healthier SG, MBS@Gov etc, as well as partnerships with major Insurers, Corporates and TPA partners to bring quality and affordable healthcare closer to the community.