GET YOUR ZZZ’s
A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book. —Irish Proverb
Sleep!
I never really think of sleep until I’m not. There was a time I’m sure, that we all just went to bed and just woke up again, and it was morning. I was going to say what I wouldn’t give to have that happen on the regular, but looking at the causes of disrupted sleep, there is a lot we (and by we, I mean me) do that sabotages the chances of a decent rest. Almost 1/3rd of our life is spent sleeping so we should be really great at, but that’s not always the case. So let’s look a little deeper into sleep.
Importance of sleep
Getting enough quality sleep is imperative to our physical and mental health. It’s more than just an energy thing, there is a whole host of complex biological actions that happen to our bodies; it’s rest and repair time! If you are trying to lose some weight or build some muscle, it’s not just the workouts that count. When we sleep, our hormones get sorted out and normalized, cortisol is lowered thus helping improve insulin sensitivity and fat burning; And then two hormone biggies associated with appetite and suppression, leptin and ghrelin levels are balanced. Then there is the rise in muscle building and repairing hormones like DHEA, growth hormones, testosterone.
Don’t kid yourself, true gains happen in the bedroom. Ever notice that when you’ve been sleeping really well your fingernails nails grow faster? That’s growth hormone in action!
On the flip side, there is also evidence that shorter sleep times are contributing to our obese culture, and even the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (likely via insulin insensitivity). Overtime that reduced insulin sensitivity becomes metabolic syndrome, and over the long term the big 2D, which is basically when our body’s no longer capable of dealing with carbohydrates at normal capacity.
We all know how ‘off’ a bad night can make us feel. That lack of sleep leaves our brains clogged with metabolic garbage leave us feeling dazed and confused, unable to make good choices, or be happy, or even nice for that matter! (I still remember it was my job to wake up my brother for high school, and let me tell you, I have never suffered worse abuse!)
Our brains are so efficient they send the janitors in when we sleep. Actually it lowers blood volume a bit and being a closed system, a wave of cerebrospinal fluid rushes in to even out the pressure, and flushes out the waste products and toxins. Specifically, the beta- amyloid- (which is the same toxin that accumulates in Alzheimers patients.) Cool huh?
So what can you do to become a sleep hero? Look after your Sleep Hygiene! Sleep hygiene refers to habits that encourage a good nights’ sleep.
Here’s a few tips-
1) Listen to your body and go to bed when you are tired. Younger folks might disagree, but I find the older you get the the less important other distractions seem, and the more an early night feels like a reward not a punishment.
2) Have a low stimulation environment 45-60 minutes before bed, lower noise levels, lower light (no digital screens). We need to wind down before bed time, you can’t just shut down Netflix and hop between the sheets and expect to drift of all that easily, unless you were watching a Woddy Alan movie or something.
3) Get up and go to bed around the same time EVERY day- staying up till 3am and sleeping till noon on weekends is sabotaging your chances of a restful week.
4) Get some early morning sun- this helps set your internal clock to day and night.
5) Exercise (Surprise!) helps us sleep better but not too close to bed time. 2 hrs or more before. At least 20 minutes at 60-70% your max HR.
6) Avoid stimulants like caffeine, nicotine. Consume your coffee, energy drinks (and other heroine like products) no later than 2pm, earlier if you are sensitive.
7) Don’t drink a whole lot of fluids at night, try and fit your hydration into earlier in the day if you are up more than once to empty the ol’ bladder. (Your evening tea can be a source of diuretics; herbs like hibiscus, hops, chamomile, dandelion, as well as green and black teas.) Fun fact! In French, Dandelion is known as pissenlit- literally translates to ‘piss the bed’!
8) Some guided meditations may help distract us from our day to day worries, and make us calmer. I’m a worrier and ruminator, and when I can’t shut it down, a guided meditation can help (wireless headphones are handy in keeping with the no phone in the bedroom rule).
9) Only use the bed for sleep and sex. That means- no TV, no Phone, No laptop. All digital devices should be out of the bedroom for sure. Sex might help you get to sleep actually, it releases some neurotransmitters like oxytocin, and when that wears off we get sleepy. (so once you are done your ‘private browsing’, clean up and leave the teck charging out of the room)
10) Darkness is key- our light receptors can sense light through our eyelids, so if it’s not dark enough, try a mask or a dark piece of light weight fabric over your eyes.
11) If it’s noisy- try some ear plugs- or a white noise machine, or a fan, though personally the quieter the better for me.
12) Slightly cooler rooms are better for sleeping, about 67ºF or 19ºC
13) Alcohol (and other drugs) “Sleep - the most beautiful experience in life - except drink. W. C. Fields”. Drugs and alcohol can mess with the rhythm of the sleep cycle, so if you’re not sleeping you might want to take a break until you get back on track. One drink is relaxing, and is usually ok, but 2 or more can cause our melatonin (our sleep hormone) to plummet in about 3-4 hours into our sleep schedule and have our brains awake and analyzing the past or worrying about the future, neither of which is particularly helpful or productive at 2am.
Trouble shooting after/during a bad night:
If you aren’t sleeping after 30 minutes, get up and do something else like reading for half an hour. Light stretching exercises and/or meditation. Warm milk does the trick for some people, as it contains tryptophan, and amino acid which is part of the serotonin/melatonin pathway. There is some research out there, that we used to sleep in split cycles largely before the industrial revolution, and folks commonly got up for an hour or so in-between sleeps. If that sounds like you, just make sure to get to bed early enough to still get your 8+ hrs.
If you do have a restless night, the best thing to do the next day is to just move on! Seriously, do not give it another thought. If you get out of bed thinking, “oh I’m going to be tired”. I guarantee you will. The best practice is putting it out of your mind and getting on with it as best you can that day; and then get to bed early that night to pay back that sleep debt.
If you do decide to (or have the ability to) nap; try and fit it in earlier in the day. Keep it relatively short under 60 minutes, preferably about 20-30 minutes is a good reset. If you ‘nap’ for 2 hours or more, that’s a mini sleep, and is setting you up for that groggy feeling (as we will have cranked out the melatonin) Having a nap after 6 or 7 pm might also put you off your sleep game for the night, but may come in handy if you are hitting the clubs.
Final thought
Create your sanctuary.
Give yourself the best chance of a good rest. You spend 30% of your life in bed, so spend the money on that environment. Get a quality mattress, change every 6-8 yrs- rotate or flip it regularly, change pillows every couple years, and get some linens that feel great, and that you really love.
A great nights’ sleep arms us with the tools we need to feel happy, healthy and strong at any age.
Feel free to share your best tips and tricks in the comments.