Happy Daylight Savings Time! You know you need ways to improve your sleep. Sleep is the ultimate “deal breaker” for your health.
HERE ARE 5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY TO IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP
Why is this important?
We tend to think mainly about nutrition and exercise for health. Unfortunately, without good sleep, any gains from your other efforts will be limited.
Think about it from an evolutionary perspective. If sleep were not incredibly important, why would we (and virtually all other animals) make ourselves so vulnerable to predators? Humans need 7-9 hours of sleep a night, with very rare exceptions. If you think you’re an exception, you’re probably not. The “exceptions” relate to a genetic mutation that’s rare enough that you have a higher likelihood of being struck by lightning than truly only needing 6 hours of sleep a night.
We cannot reliably estimate our level of impairment from poor sleep. In addition, with chronically poor sleep, your “baseline” adjusts. You expect and think it’s normal to have the lack of energy, concentration and health issues associated with poor sleep.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE SLEEP?
TAKING OUT THE TRASH: The brain has a sewage network called the “glymphatic system” which removes toxic debris that builds up during waking hours from the metabolic activity of your brain. This includes things like tau proteins, which are related to Alzheimer’s.
QUALITY OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: This is important not just for colds and flu, but for cancer. Your immune system’s “natural killer cells” (yeah, they’re really called that) target early cancer cells. We all have these damaged cells in our bodies and the vigilance of our immune system is key to killing them off.
REPAIR OF DAMAGED TISSUES AND MUSCLE BUILDING: Sleep is critical for healing injuries. That also goes for injury from your healthy muscle building training, which most people experience as “muscle soreness.” The positive response to “hormetic stress” can only happen with adequate recovery. You don’t get stronger at the gym. You get stronger when you sleep!
SUPPORT FOR NATURAL SEX HORMONE LEVELS: Both men and women suffer from this if underslept. it’s important to remember that in addition to what we usually think of in relation to these hormones, testosterone is important for bone health in both men and women.
LEARNING AND MEMORY CONSOLIDATION: There’s a pretty good inbox / outbox analogy as far as memory and learning goes. Sleep clears the information in the inbox from the day and moves if from “short-term” to “long-term” storage. This happens in different parts of the brain and different stages of sleep. So, you really need the whole amount of sleep for permanent storage of the information that came in today, and to clear “space” for new information to come in tomorrow.
This is not just for fact learning, but for SKILL LEARNING. There’s really no such thing as “muscle memory” but it’s during sleep that your brain really learns new physical skills. These can be job skills, like a new surgical technique, or sports skills like an Olympic lift. It’s common for people to be struggling with a new skill, get a good night’s sleep, and the next day the pieces come together easily. To be really good at a physical skill, most of it has to be subconscious.
WHAT ELSE HAPPENS WHEN WE DON’T GET ENOUGH SLEEP?
WEAK CONCENTRATION AND SLOW REACTION TIME: As bad as this is in all aspects of life, drowsy driving is a clear example. It’s dangerous or more than drunk driving, and when the two are combined, it’s practically an exponential increase, not just additive.
HIGHER LIKELIHOOD OF SPORTS INJURY: Top sports teams have realized this and are now prioritizing sleep.
INCREASED EMOTIONAL REACTIVITY: Overly emotional reactions and lack of ability to put events in a broader context. This will affect all your relationships.
HIGHER RATES OF OBESITY, CANCER, DIABETES, NEUROLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLIGICAL CONDITIONS.
5 THINGS TO DO TO IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP:
- EMBRACE EVENING DARKNESS: In the evening, or at least within an hour of your bedtime, turn off half the lights in your house. Really, you probably don’t need all that overhead lighting, it’s just a habit. (Leave enough lights on to be safe, of course.) Try it! I also want to say avoid SCREENS two hours before bed, but I know you probably won’t. SO, install light reducing software like apple’s “night shift” on your phone, f.lux on your laptop, fool around with the settings on your TV if there’s not software for that. Also, there are great blue-light blocking glasses you can get for about ten bucks. They’re dorky looking but it’s just for around the house. If you want to get fancy, there are actually better looking (but costlier) glasses you can look cool in. Reading a book in dim light is better than a screen (tablet or phone). I know, old-school, but they still print books.
- SLEEP IN A CAVE: OK, not literally. But your sleeping space should be as DARK as you can possibly make it. With the light pollution everywhere now, you probably need light blocking curtains and/or blinds. If you need a night light in the bathroom for example, go with a red night light. The second part of the “cave” aspect is you should sleep in a COOL room. Many people keep their thermostat on the same number all the time. The temperature is an important signal to your body for sleep. You’ve probably noticed it’s harder to sleep in a too-warm room than a too-cool room, right? Set your thermostat to 65-66 degrees F at night, rising a bit before you want to wake up. Even if you need a slightly heavier blanket, the cooler room temperature helps.
- WATCH CAFFEINE AND ALCOHOL: Avoid Caffeine after mid-morning. Caffeine can be kind of sneaky. It can be in things like Kombucha teas, sports drinks (pre-workout and recovery) and even decaffeinated coffees and teas. Decaffeinated does not = non-caffeinated. It’s not just in liquids, it can be in your dessert! Caffeine takes much longer than you think to leave your bloodstream, after 5-7 hours half the caffeine in that after dinner cup of coffee is still percolating (pun intended) in your brain. If you’re one of those people that says they can drink a cup of coffee and go to sleep, also be aware the quality of your sleep will not be very good. Be conservative with ALCOHOL before bed. Alcohol is a sedative, so you might be sleeping but you’re basically just knocking yourself out. The quality and continuity of your sleep will be diminished, especially REM sleep. I would add avoid NICOTINE, but if you’re here, hopefully that’s not even an issue.
- EXERCISE, BUT NOT TOO LATE IN THE DAY: Getting exercise really helps with sleep, but time of day does matter. A lot of people think they can only work out “after work”. I get that but most gyms have early morning hours and classes if you like those. I don’t love the 5:30 AM workout because it comes with its own circadian rhythm issues, but if I have to pick that over working out within 3 hours of bedtime, I do. If you’re doing the early workout, get in bed on time to get your 7 ½ hours of sleep (so at least 8 hours in bed)!
- HAVE A BEDTIME: You’re probably best to align your bedtime as close as possible to your natural “chronotype”. Some people really are “morning people” while some are “night owls”. You probably know which one you are. It doesn’t have to be exact every day, but trying to be aware of this and making it work as much as you can will help. If you have trouble with this, set a “bedtime” alarm on your phone to remind you it’s time to start winding down, and do it.
There’s a lot more you can do to improve your sleep, but picking this “low hanging fruit” should make a difference. For even more help, click the button below for a Free Sleep Assessment.
Neither Deb Stewart nor any employee of Custom Healthspan LLC is a physician, psychologist, registered or licensed dietitian, certified nutritionist, physical therapist, or other healthcare professional and the scope of his or her consultation services does not include diagnosis, treatment, or cure of any psychological or physical condition, nor do the services replace the necessary services of licensed healthcare providers. None of the content presented constitutes medical or psychiatric advice, nor is it a substitute for treatment. The content on this website is for educational and informational purposes only. Clients should use their own judgement before applying any information herein to their own personal situation. Custom Healthspan LLC disclaims all liability as stated in the Terms and Conditions of Use and Service of this website. Visitors are encouraged to consult a physician before engaging in any Custom Healthspan LLC program or any constituent activity, especially if you suffer or believe you may suffer from a serious psychological or physiological condition or illness.
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