Sleep is a fundamental need but can be easy to push aside. In a world that’s clamoring for your attention 24/7, you have to make time for adequate rest. Without at least seven hours of sleep, the body changes hormone levels and the regulatory processes that govern healing, appetite, emotional responses, and more. You can get the full seven to nine hours you need with a sleep supportive lifestyle, simple methods to address sleep issues, and an eye for potential sleep disorders that require more serious intervention.
Building a Sleep-Supportive Lifestyle
The quality and length of your sleep cycle can be affected by your environment and habits.
Bedroom Basics
To help your mind and body relax, the bedroom should be a sleep haven where stress is left outside. A mattress that conforms to your preferred sleep position and supports your weight reduces the chances of pain and discomfort. You can use your mattress to target specific problems that disrupt your sleep like sciatica, acid reflux, or back problems. Make sure to keep light levels low, and don't forget to turn the temperature down 60° to 68° to help the body maintain the lower body temperature (2) necessary for sleep.
Predictable Sleep Schedule
In a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, (3) it was found that 54 percent of people who follow a regular sleep schedule felt well-rested versus only 37 percent of those with a fluctuating schedule. Your brain and body are designed to adapt to behavioral patterns. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day allows the brain to anticipate your behavior and release sleep hormones accordingly. It also trains your body on how to appropriately respond to those hormones.
Manage Light Exposure
Before the invention of electricity, the timing of the sleep cycle was determined by the Earth’s day/night pattern. The circadian rhythms (4) still use light to time your sleep cycle, but now it has the electricity to contend with. In the evening bright light of any kind, especially blue spectrum light, (5) can suppress sleep hormones. Lower the light levels in your home at night and turn off electronic devices to allow sleep hormones to release as nature intended.
Fall Asleep Faster and Stay Asleep Longer
Stress, anxiety, vitamin deficiency, hormone fluctuations—the causes behind your sleep problems can vary. However, there are some simple, non-prescription solutions that may help.
Multivitamins: Magnesium, potassium, and calcium are all used by the body to produce sleep hormones. Consequently, a deficiency in any one of them can lead to problems falling and staying asleep. A sleep-specific or general multivitamin can help if you’re low on vitamins. Speak with your primary care physician or a registered dietitian before starting a supplement regimen.
Yoga: Regular yoga is linked to a reduction in inflammatory proteins in the blood due to stress. (6) Yoga can be done at any time, but there are poses that work particularly well for sleep. Many can be performed just before or even in bed.
Meditation: Meditation reduces stress (7) by strengthening the connection between the brain’s logic and emotional centers, which aids emotional regulation.
When You Need Professional Help
Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, irregular circadian rhythms, and restless leg syndrome may make it difficult to sleep despite a healthy lifestyle and good sleep habits. If you snore excessively, wake too early, have trouble falling asleep, or feel tired even though you’ve slept a full seven hours, it might be time to talk to your doctor.
Your doctor may suggest a treatment plan based on your symptoms, but she may also recommend a sleep study for a more thorough analysis. Sleep studies can identify issues like obstructive sleep apnea, which can then be treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Or it could identify a circadian rhythm disorder. In which case, bright light therapy, which involves targeted light exposure to regulate the release of sleep hormones, might be recommended.
The point is you don’t need to go sleepless.
Conclusion
It can take time to develop healthy sleep patterns. Be patient and start small. With time and effort, your body will adapt. Then, you’ll feel rested with the energy to live an active lifestyle.
References:
1. Murphy, Patricia Jane. "Nighttime Drop in Body Temperature: A Physiological Trigger for Sleep Onset?" Research Gate, PubMed, Aug. 1997
2. National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Health and Scheduling, 2019, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2019-03/SIA_2019_Sleep_Health_and_Scheduling.pdf
3. "Circadian Rhythms". Nih.Gov, 2019, https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/pages/Factsheet_CircadianRhythms.aspx
4. Tosini, Gianluca, et al. "Effects of Blue Light on the Circadian System and Eye Physiology." Molecular Vision, Vol. 22, 2016, pp.61-72, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734149/
5. "Yoga reduces cytokine levels known to promote inflammation, study shows." ScienceDaily, 2010, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100111122643.htm
6. Ireland, Tom. "What Does Mindfulness Meditation Do to Your Brain?" Scientific America Blog Network, 12 June 2014, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-mindfulness-meditation-do-to-your-brain/