What if I told you there is one secret to being smarter, being sexier, losing weight, finding success, breaking addictions, hitting productivity goals, fighting disease, crushing viruses, running faster, reducing stress, improving attitude, and strengthening relationships? And it’s free! Yes, it’s sleep!
Sleep is vital to good health, happiness, and balance in life. It’s well reported that 7 to 9 hours is the ideal amount of sleep that keeps the body ticking. Getting the ideal amount of sleep is important for growth, nervous system function and repair, strengthening of the brain and immune system, and overall protection from diseases that attack our well-being. Yet, 1 out of every 3 Americans says they are not getting adequate sleep.
1 out of every 3 Americans say they are not getting adequate sleep.
The lack of sleep makes people irritable, depressed, anxious, foggy, and distracted. Long-term, deficiency in sleep has negative health risks and is connected to a host of illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. However, how long you sleep is not the only factor, quality matters. Quality sleep is measured by a healthy balance and cycling of the REM and non-REM stages of sleep. A longitudinal research study by Oxford Academic supports the hypothesis that optimal quality sleep leads to a longer life.
Sleep has many attackers in all shapes and forms: blue lights emitting from our devices, overly packed schedules, ongoing stress or worry, alcohol, caffeine, dependency on drugs, eating too close to bedtime, and poor bedroom environments. The information and technology era has led to constant connectivity, on-demand distractions, and instantaneous gratification…all of which interrupt the rhythms of a balanced life and is at the root cause of poor sleeping habits.
The information and technology era has led to constant connectivity, on-demand distractions, and instantaneous gratification…all of which interrupt the rhythms of a balanced life and is at the root cause of poor sleeping habits.
If you’re looking to improve your sleep quality, the sleep hygiene tips below can be a good start to finding the solutions that are right for you. The key to implementing any practice towards better sleep is a change in mindset. Just like any habit, make sure that your protection of sleep is a sacred ritual that has at least a 2-hour power down model for every night of the week…yes, even on weekends. So without further ado, let’s dive in.
- Lose the alarm to find out how much your body needs. You will want to try this on a day when you don’t have to be somewhere by 7 AM. Once you’ve identified the appropriate timing and new routines, you could lose the alarm permanently!
- Track sleeping trends. Use a wearable to track your sleep patterns. Wearables like the Oura Ring will provide details of your HRV, HEART RATE, and body temperature, and quantifies your sleep cycles.
- Make sure your kids are sleeping FIRST. If you’re a parent, this is where you’re putting on their mask before yours. Children, in general, need more sleep than adults, so if your kids are going to bed after 9 PM, it may be time to entertain an earlier bedtime for them, for your sanity.
- Dim your artificial lights right after sunset. Turning off the light helps set the mood, but most importantly, it prevents the disruption of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) The SCN is the region in the brain next to the optic nerve that governs the biological clock, regulates the timing clock of hunger, body temperature, poop, optimal performance, alertness, and sleep.
- Enjoy natural morning sunlight outdoors. Research shows that getting 15-30 minutes of direct sunlight immediately after sunrise supports the healthy production of melatonin. (your sleep hormone)
- Exercise in the morning, especially if you are a morning person. Exercising outdoors is a way to get your natural sunlight and movement in at the same time.
- Keep a declutter journal by your bed. This can help reduce any anxiety or worry or work-related projects that are keeping your brain in a tailspin. The ultimate purpose is the brain dump so it doesn’t keep you up all night.
- Escape with a fictional book. Reading, in general, is relaxing and even more so, at night. Try to avoid material that’s related to your work or studies. This is an opportunity to activate the reward hormone, dopamine.
- Apply Lavender Oil to your skin or the air. Lavender is not only a calming agent, it helps with a wide array of other benefits from relieving headaches, and reducing stress, and acts as an antioxidant property to support healthier skin. Be sure to verify any sensitivities before use.
- Take a warm shower before bed. This research study tells the power of what a warm bath and shower do for the core body temperature. When we sleep, the ideal body temperature should drop by 2 to 3 degrees. A warm shower brings the temperature to the skin and away from the core, thus promoting sleep.
- Lower the temperature of your room to a range of 60 to 65 degrees. Along the same lines as above, having a colder environment for the bedroom does wonder for quality sleep.
- Take deep breaths. This seems elementary, but this could be the magic sleeping pill you’re looking for. There are a variety of breathing techniques that promotes relaxation and quality sleep, but I am a fan of the 4-7-8 method. To do this, take two inhales through the nostril for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds. Slowly exhale for 8 seconds and then repeat the cycle.
- Black out your room and make sure it’s quiet. As mentioned above regarding the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN), artificial light after sunset will disrupt the body’s ability to get deep sleep. This may also mean keeping children and pets out of your room too.
- Avoid eating at least 2 hours before going to bed. Having too much to eat before you sleep changes the quality of your sleep and having too much to drink may mean that you are up in the middle of the night going to the bathroom…both disruptive to the quality. The brain needs optimal blood flow to properly detox during sleep. Eating before bed changes where the blood is going.
- Avoid alcoholic nightcaps. Alcohol can help you go to sleep, but drinking right before bed is one of the biggest disrupters of quality sleep. Your body has to work twice as hard to process and detox alcohol as any other food. The body stops all systems at the first sign of alcohol hitting the system to help regulate the ridding of the substance from your body. Consuming alcohol increases the heart rate, the body temperature, the body stops burning fat, stresses your liver and kidneys, and messes with the microbiome in your gut. In addition, alcohol consumption relaxes throat muscles which are needed for keeping airways open during sleep. This can cause sleep apnea.
- Avoid caffeine after noon. The afternoon cup of coffee for most people spikes cortisol levels, which will make you alert. Your body already makes cortisol (the stress hormone), so you may want to rethink your 3 PM latte.
- Avoid late naps. Napping is a great reset to get through the afternoon slump. However, if it’s too late in the day, it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and ability to fall asleep quickly.
- Take magnesium. This mineral is essential for nearly 600 bodily functions including relaxation and reduction of headaches. If you don’t supplement, you can find magnesium in leafy green vegetables, nuts, legumes, milk, seeds, and brown rice. Be sure to check for sensitivities before supplementing.
- Have sex with your spouse. Sex releases additional oxytocin and prolactin, both of which are feel-good hormones. After sex, these hormones act as sedatives to the body. Cortisol levels in the blood also decrease after sex.
- Turn off the TV and your phone at least an hour before you go to bed. The blue light alone can disrupt the hormone of melatonin which is essential to your sleep. Blue Blocking glasses are also very popular to support the artificial lighting in your home after the sunset. The pineal gland — a pea-sized gland in the brain — releases melatonin a couple of hours before you typically go to bed. But blue light disrupts this process and can keep you awake longer. Blue light stimulates a type of light sensor in your body called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) — in the retina of the eye. These sensors send light information to the circadian clock, telling it when it’s time for the body to sleep and to wake up.
- Pray. We often pray with our kids, but we adults tend to get out of practice. Praying allows for you to give your burdens, worries, and anxieties to God. Going into meditation with our Comforter and Counselor consistently is biblical. 1 Thessalonians 16-18 states, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
- Get a new mattress or pillow. If all else fails, it may be time for new equipment!
In summary, before you start to take on new sleep habits, take inventory of your current patterns for at least 2 weeks. Start with a simple assessment of how much sleep you are getting each night and also log how you feel the next morning. Look at the patterns of your evening routines for all 7 days of the week, as each day most likely holds a different type of obstacle or series of events. Look to habit stack where possible to make your sleep more powerful.
Lastly, if you have health concerns as it relates to your sleep, I recommend seeking the support of your medical practitioner.