J Tuthill’s research while affiliated with St. Lawrence University and other places

Introduction Clinicians often suggest sleep hygiene interventions for sleep disorders, such as developing a bedtime routine, sleeping in one’s own bed, and regular bed/waketimes. Contextual cues such as cluttered bedrooms may also interfere with sleep quality, perhaps by contributing to rumination or anxiety. Our study examined whether de-cluttering the bedroom helps improve sleep. Methods Participants were 1052 subscribers to a website offering help with housekeeping routines, particularly de-cluttering and discarding (95% female, mean age 50.5 years). Subscribers were given access to an on-line study link for five consecutive days in December 2015. Measures included demographics; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); Daytime/Nighttime Sleep Problems (DNSP), and Housekeeping Habits Survey (HHS). The HHS asked participants which of four recommended habits they had adopted on an at-least weekly basis: 1) regular, brief de-cluttering (tidying and discarding objects in the bedroom); 2) planning for next day’s activities; 3) self-care (eating regular meals and keeping “reasonable” bedtimes; and 4) keeping thoughts positive and avoiding perfectionism. Results Hierarchical regression revealed that De-cluttering and Self-Care habits predicted increased sleep quality (PSQI; beta = -.13 and -.13, respectively) and fewer sleep-related problems (DNSP: beta = -.08 and -.17); earlier bedtimes accounted for the largest amount of variability (beta = -.18 and -.23). Length of website subscription predicted better sleep quality. Global PSQI was highest (M:13.2) for new subscribers, positive outcomes were achieved (p=.04) after as little as 4 weeks of regular engagement with the recommended habits, although PSQI scores remained elevated (global score: 11.4) even for those who spent 3 years on the website. Conclusion De-cluttering the bedroom area is not typically recommended to insomnia patients by health care providers; our results indicate that for some patients, recommendations to tidy the bedroom area may be helpful as a way to improve sleep. Because many insomniacs attempt to fall asleep too early, practitioners usually emphasize delaying bedtimes, to keep sleep efficiency high. Some patients, however, may be delaying sleep excessively, and directions to advance bedtimes may be more appropriate. Support (If Any) No support to declare.