A trunk-quilizer!
An entirely appropriate pun, I feel, for World Sleep Day on 15th March 2022. This year, the theme is Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World.
And lord knows, we could do with a happy world, right now!
"Sleep is the single most important thing that we can do to reset our brain and body health each day" - not my words, but those of Dr Matthew Walker who's a neuroscientist and sleep expert. So he should know. Getting enough high-quality sleep each night is essential for our wellbeing and performance.
It improves alertness and concentration; reduces stress; reduces the risk of long term health problems; and helps improve productivity and effectiveness.
The three elements of quality sleep are:
- Duration: the length of time asleep needs to be sufficient to leave you feeling rested and alert the following day. In adults, this would be somewhere between 7 and 9 hours;
- Continuity: it should be seamless and uninterrupted (oh, I'd like some of that!);
- Depth: it should be deep enough to feel restorative.
While you're asleep, your brain is essentially doing its housekeeping.
It's clearing out the detritus of the day; filing away memories; and encoding emotional information. Reduced sleep leads to impaired working memory and processing speed amongst other functions.
And it's not just essential for your brain - poor sleep is also correlated with weight gain, obesity, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and inflammation. And all of those are going to make you less happy. Want more bad news about lack of sleep? Check out this blog
Fancy watching something rather than reading? Check out this Ted Talk by Dr Matt!
Some basic pillars of good sleep hygiene include:
- Fixing a consistent bedtime and wake up time. As with so many areas of our lives, consistency is key. By having a regular bedtime and getting up time, you help to reinforce your body's sleep and wake drives.
- If you're in the habit of taking naps, don't exceed 45 minutes of daytime sleep.
- Avoiding alcohol up to 4 hours before bedtime and don't smoke. Alcohol before bedtime may speed up the onset of sleep, but it reduces your quality of sleep and can lead to waking during thee night.
- Avoiding caffeine 6 hours before bedtime. This includes coffee, tea and many fizzy drinks, as well as chocolate.
- Avoiding heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 3 hours before bed. A light snack before bed is ok (kiwi fruit might have sleep inducing properties).
- Exercising regularly, but not right before bed. A lovely Pilates class will definitely help as we'll be focused on breath and the concentration required will definitely help to quiet your "monkey mind".
- Using comfortable bedding.
- Finding a comfortable temperature setting for sleeping and keeping the room well ventilated. The natural daily cycle of temperature is a powerful regulator of sleep.
The body naturally drops its core temperature at night, coinciding with a typical fall in environmental temperature. The ideal sleeping temperature is around 18 degrees celcius.
- Eliminating as much light as possible. This is because receiving light in our eyes disrupts the production of melatonin. This is a major reason for avoiding bright digital devices in the bedroom.
If outside streetlights make complete darkness a challenge, a sleep mask will help (or even better, blackout curtains).
- Blocking out as much noise as possible. Obviously, most of us live in suburban or urban areas where we are likely to be exposed to night time noises.
We can grow used to noise over time, but the more unexpected the noise (fox sex, anyone??!!) the more likely we are to wake up.
Ear plugs are generally my go to, but white noise can also help.
- Reserving the bed for sleep and sex. Don’t use the bed as an office, workroom or recreation room.
That means that all electronic items stay outside the room. Even having in the room can create physical and psychological stimulation which can disrupt your sleep.
- If you do need a clock, invest in an S.A.D clock* which becomes gradually lighter as your wake-up time approaches. This can help to strengthen your wake drive in the early morning, particularly during winter.
If you've got all of the sleep basics in place, how can you make sure that you're getting your 7-9 hours per night?
The first item on the list above was making sure that you're keeping a regular schedule of bedtime and wake up time.
I'd actually go one step further and say "Go to bed earlier". Essentially, the more time you have in bed, the more opportunity you're giving yourself to get enough sleep in.
If you need 7 hours sleep; have to get up at 7am; and only go to bed at midnight, well. you're probably always going to be a little bit short on sleep. Which adds up over a week/ month/ year.
You might be surprised to hear that the "wake" part of your cycle is as important as the night-time stuff in ensuring that you get enough quality sleep.
This means that you need to re-set your sleep-wake cycle by providing very clear signals to the brain that the day has begun. Get some early morning light exposure on the skin and in the eyes helps to properly activate the wake drive. The best light is natural daylight, taken outside for preference.
And if you pair this with a little light exercise - a brisk walk or jog - this can help to raise your heart rate and metabolism which further supports your wake drive activation.
Now you've got some daylight and a little exercise, grabbing a protein-filled breakfast can lead to increased wakefulness and bodily activity which is exactly what we want. Consuming sugary foods such as cereals can have the opposite effect.
The earlier we activate our wake-drive, the sooner we'll be ready for sleep in the evening,
So, it turns out that what's good for your heart, is good for your brain, is good for your body AND is good for your sleep!
That means that eating a balance diet, rich in vegetables and fibre can help; as can ensuring that you have your last meal 2-3 hours before bed to avoid activating your digestion (which competes with your sleep), too close to bedtime.
Getting your 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week (particularly if it's outside and in the morning) will also help as you're more likely to be physically tired AND exercising as you already know, is a great reducer of stress.
Finally, we all know that stress can severely disrupt our sleep. Let's think about a few ways that we can protect and strengthen our resources to deal better with stress:
- Regular mindfulness practice during the day has been shown to be very helpful for managing sleep problems. It helps us to manage the anxious night time thoughts better and to strengthen our parasympathetic nervous system too.
- Take regular breaks during the day. Our brains can manage full-focus for about 90 minutes at a time before it moves into stress. So working in sprints of 90m minutes with a short recovery break will help. Try a short walk outside, a relaxed chat with someone, or some dried fruit/ nuts to replenish your energy.
- Take play time! Doing things that you enjoy that bring an element of play and flow to your day will improve your wellbeing. I quite enjoy a blast of loud music and a bit of a dance round the living room! Mr A enjoys me doing that slightly less!
So, in summary, for better sleep:
- Consistency in sleep and wake up times;
- Good sleep hygiene (dark, quiet, cool room; no devices)
- Eat a diet rich in vegetables and fibre; avoid alcohol and tobacco;
- Get your 150 minutes of exercise, preferably outside and in the morning!
I realise that there are lots of other things that can keep us awake like night sweats, anxiety and racing thoughts. But putting just some of these into play could already help you to sleep more and better.
* This blog contains affiliate links meaning that Amazon will pay me a small commission if you purchase through the link, at no cost to you.
