Let’s Get Some Sleep!
Sleep. Everyone talks about it, but no one is getting enough. If you want to keep from getting sick, maintain your metabolic health, perform as an athlete, excel at work, or be a nice human sleep is necessary. It’s when our body “takes out the trash”, restores from the day before, solidifies memories, reinforces things we learned, and makes repairs. A lot of common sleep problems can be supported with routine and habit changes.
Sleep Hygiene Tips:
Make sure your room is DARK - use an eye mask, get black-out curtains, remove all screens, cover any green or blue lights with electrical tape or remove them. Make sure you have a clear path to the door so you don't trip.
Make sure your room is cool - turn the AC down to 65 at night, use a ceiling fan/standing fan, or use a cooling pad. Close your curtains during the day to keep the sun from warming the room so it is cooler at night.
Start preparing for bed first thing when you wake up - get direct sunlight in your eyeballs within 45 minutes of waking. Melatonin (sleep hormone and master antioxidant) is suppressed with sunlight which is what we want during the day. Your melatonin slowly increases throughout the day until you reach the threshold when it pushes you into sleep.
Avoid bright light at night - bright light suppresses melatonin (see #3) which needs to build up for you to fall asleep. After sundown, dim your lights, get some red/orange light bulbs, embrace candles, or wear blue blocker glasses.
Work on your gut health - melatonin is made from serotonin which is mainly made where? You guessed it - in the gut!
Step away from the screen! Blue light can suppress the release of melatonin but beyond that, the stress and anxiety of news, social media, work emails, and anxiety-provoking shows all can inhibit sleep.
Go to bed and wake up at the same time EVERY DAY. “Social Jet Lag'' - Not going to sleep and waking with your body's natural rhythms OR staying up and waking up several hours later during the weekend than during the week - has similar effects on your circadian rhythm as travel jet lag. Hello, case of the Mondays!
Work out or move your body EVERY DAY. Caveat not within 2 hours of bedtime.
Do not eat within 3 hours of bedtime. Digestion requires energy and resources. You don't want your body trying to digest food while it’s trying to “take out the trash” overnight. Your organs have a natural circadian rhythm and overnight many - like your liver and brain - are active while you sleep.
Do not drink alcohol before bed - it doesn’t help you sleep! It actually makes you unconscious which is not the same as sleep. Your body can’t restore and “take out the trash” of your brain while unconscious, it needs to cycle through the true phases of sleep.
Only 2 Ss in bed - sleep and sex. Our bodies are habitual. If you read or watch tv when you get into bed, your body thinks it's time to read or watch tv. Then it’s confusing when you want to sleep. Train your body to sleep when you get in bed.
Create a wind-down routine. Our bodies are habitual. Create a routine that signals to your body that it’s time to go to bed. An example: 7:30 dim lights, 8:00 turn off screens and read a paper book/listen to music. 9:00 yoga stretching and meditation. 9:30 wash/brush/floss. 10:00 in bed lights out. You can create a shorter routine - 9:30 hot shower with spa music, 9:40 brush/wash, 9:50 in bed grateful thoughts, and breathing exercise. 10:00 in bed lights out.
8 hours in bed does not = 8 hours of sleep. Schedule time for sleep - account for the time it takes to fall asleep. If you take 30 minutes to fall asleep you need to be in bed for 8 hours and 30 minutes to get 8 hours of sleep. Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep. If you “only need 5 hours” reevaluate your health priorities.
Don’t Fight your body - when would your body naturally wake up if you didn’t set alarms and have to be at work? Is it possible your schedule is counter to your body’s natural circadian rhythm? Not everyone is meant to wake up at 5 am and go to sleep at 9 pm. Can you alter your routine to support your body’s natural rhythm?
Be kind to yourself - making change takes time. Being angry at yourself that you can’t fall asleep or stay asleep isn’t going to make sleep come any sooner. Commit to the changes you want to institute and slowly incorporate them into your life. Take it slow. Habits are hard to build and take time. Here is a Habits Guide to help.
Tools
NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) Guided Practice
Yoga Nidra (Free Insight Timer app)
Emily Fletcher Sleep/Anxiety Meditation (start 1min, 37 sec)
Worry Journal
Orange/Red light bulbs or salt lamps for evening
Blue blocking glasses: Felix Gray, Sojos Vision and your regular eyeglass outlet
Cooling/wicking Sheets: Bampure Sheets, Ettitude Sheets
Cooling/wicking pajamas: Cozy Earth, Cool-Jams
Cooling bed pad: Slumber Cloud, Cozy Earth, Ooler
Binaural Beats (Free Insight Timer App)
Sleep Beverage
Adapted From Dr. Ellen Vora
Ingredients:
Chamomile tea
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Cloves
1/4 cup frozen organic cherries
1 tablespoon sprouted nut butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon collagen (Optional)
Monk Fruit or Stevia to taste (Optional)
Step 1: Boil water and remove from heat. Pour water over a chamomile tea bag in your favorite mug - leave room for the additional ingredients. Allow it to steep.
Step 2: While your tea is brewing, add the cinnamon, cloves, cherries, almond butter, coconut oil, and collagen to the blender.
Step 3: Once your tea has steeped for 3 minutes, add it to the blender and whiz.
Resources:
Light and Sleep by the Sleep Foundation
The Power of When by Michael Breus
