Sleep Well
Robert Fisher
Utility Director | Entrepreneur | Co-founder of Living Better in the Later Years
While the exact biological purpose of sleep remains one of science’s great mysteries, what is clear is that sleep is the single most important contributor to a human being’s mental, physical, emotional, and immunological health. The quantity and quality of your life are directly proportional to the quantity and quality of your sleep.
For a better, longer, more satisfying life, make sleep your highest priority!
The Objective: Eight Hours of Quality Sleep Most people need seven to nine hours of sleep each night, five to six hours of that being high-quality, restful sleep. Younger people need more.
Nights of less than five hours of total sleep hamper daily performance and raise the risk of longer-term health problems.
Five Key Benefits In addition to just plain feeling better, adequate sleep improves daily...
Six Things to Know
1. Sleep is essential to optimizing brain functionality and mental effectiveness.
2. Sleep occurs in stages (four or five depending on the reference source). Throughout a night's sleep, the body continuously cycles through these stages. For most, a cycle lasts about 90 minutes. A normal person experiences four to six sleep cycles nightly.
3. The critical period of high-quality, restful sleep includes a stage of deep sleep and the ever-popular Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.
During deep sleep, the body grows more physically resilient. This effort includes repairing damaged tissues, boosting the immune system, and building energy for the coming day.
During the period of REM, the brain refreshes itself. Molecular level activity within the brain during this period helps process new information and enhance cognitive ability including learning and memory.
4. A circadian rhythm is the human body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. This cycle occurs approximately every 24 hours, influenced by the periods of light and dark in our environment. It is critical to the regulation of important bodily functions. Disrupted circadian rhythms affect bodily functions including hormone release, eating habits and digestion, body temperature, and, of course, sleep patterns.
5. Jetlag is the physiological condition that results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms caused by rapid long-distance travel across global time zones. Rule of thumb: One night of sleep is impaired for every time zone traversed in the previous day.
6. Two key hormones produced by the body affect an individual’s sleep-wake cycle: Melatonin helps with sleep; Cortisol supports the body's waking activities.
1. Make sleep your top priority. Before proceeding, we recommend taking a moment to put yourself and your well-being first. Repeat after me, "My highest priority is sleep." Now go get 'em i.e., keep reading! 2. Invest in quality bedding.
You will spend a third of your life in bed, so make it a wonderful place to be. Consistent with the importance of the task at hand, choose quality when making investments in bedding for yourself and your family.
When shopping for bedding, consider the additional purchase of a weighted blanket. Studies and testimonials suggest this addition to your bedding can enhance your sleep quality.
Mattresses (and pillows) should be firm and supportive. Individuals who predominantly sleep on their stomachs – though not recommended because of the potential for induced back pain - may need a slightly firmer mattress to help with spinal alignment, while those who spend more time on their backs may benefit from more plush contouring. Regardless, mattresses should be flipped semiannually (pillows daily) to limit sagging and extend useful product life.
3. Create a dark sleeping environment.
Sources of light are detrimental to sleep. Shroud your sleeping environment in complete darkness by doing the following:
4. Eliminate all sources of blue light.
Anything containing blue light inhibits the release of melatonin (the hormone responsible for inducing sleep). Blue light sources can include computers, televisions, digital clocks, nightlights, iPhones, laptops, and iPads. Eliminate all such sources from your sleeping environment.
Additionally, limit the use of blue light-emitting devices in the hours before bedtime.
5. Be cool.
The body's core temperature needs to drop for effective sleep. Consider these practices to keep your body cool at night.
6. Use background sounds.
Use a sleep app, like any of those found here, throughout the night to help calm your active mind. Or consider simply playing a favorite audiobook, being sure to choose one greater than eight hours in length.
Regardless of the sound source, too loud is not helpful, but too soft can make you strain to hear and potentially wake you up. Too interesting can be a problem, so consider source material or content with which you are already familiar.
If you are one of the 15% of the population that suffers from tinnitus, then soothing sounds introduced into the environment can help suppress that incessant ringtone into the background.
7. Set your phone to “Do Not Disturb.”
Define the period each day when external interruptions are no longer desired, then set your phone on "Do Not Disturb" to block incoming calls and messages. Most people do not need to take and/or respond to phone calls, texts, or anything that produces an audible alert during the designated sleep period. It can wait. If you do need to be awakened for a particular circumstance, most phones are smart enough to provide you the option to select a specific source of approved potential interruption.
8. Try aromatherapy.
The scent of lavender, chamomile, rose or jasmine can be sleep-inducing. Consider the use of a pillow spray as one source of such pleasing scents.
Here's our personal choice: click here.
9. Monitor your sleep performance.
Gather and become familiar with your personal sleep data. Harness the data provided by a sleep monitoring device or watch (e.g., Apple Watch, Fitbit, Oura Ring, etc.). Data can help you make decisions and adjust behaviors that can help improve the quantity and quality of your sleep and your life. Monitor and evaluate the data provided to help determine which activities and personal behaviors are the most helpful or harmful to your restful sleep.
10. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
Go to sleep every night and wake up each morning at the same times, including weekends.
Determine the time you need to regularly wake in the morning, then subtract 8 or more hours to determine your routine bedtime. Plan to go to bed and get up at these target times every day including the weekends.
11. Exercise during the day.
Exercise is a great contributor to a full night’s sleep, but not less than 2 hours before bed to avoid raising your core body temperature.
12. Manage your caffeine intake.
Caffeine is a chemical stimulant that can keep you awake. Caffeine's effectiveness declines with time after ingestion. Its half-life is about 6 hours, and its quarter-life is about 12 hours i.e., 50% (25%) remains in your system 6 (12) hours later. Accordingly, consider eliminating all sources of caffeine twelve or more hours before you intend to sleep.
13. Consider the unconventional.
Example 1: Try the practice of earthing (also called grounding) during the day. Made popular by Dr. Deepak Chopra, this practice is gaining some bit of popular recognition as a sleep enhancer.
Example 2: Try a float spa. Effectively a sensory deprivation chamber that uses a warm, mineral water bath to allow floating. Patrons report feeling relaxed and later, energized. The day's session led to a great night's sleep.
14. If you must eat before bedtime, choose carefully.
Eating before bedtime is not generally recommended. Stop eating 2 to 3 hours before bed to aid in proper digestion and to prevent discomfort or acid reflux while sleeping.
If you must eat before bedtime, helpful snacks that help curb hunger and induce sleep include almonds, walnuts, cherries or tart cherry juice, milk, yogurt, cheese (including cottage cheese), oatmeal, kiwi and bananas, and proteins like hard-boiled eggs or turkey. Additionally, drinking warm milk or chamomile tea can assist with sleep onset and help create a soothing bedtime ritual.
Avoid consuming simple carbs (e.g., pizza), sugary cereals or desserts, or spicy foods. Avoid drinking soda, juices, or, of course, any type of caffeinated drink.
15. Limit alcohol consumption.
While the mechanistic effects are not completely understood, alcohol has been scientifically determined to reduce the quantity and quality of deep sleep. So, limit alcohol consumption before bed.
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16. Meditate.
There are many shapes and forms of meditation that can help calm the mind before bed. A simple example: Conduct a moment of thoughtful gratitude at bedtime. Practicing gratitude is a known contributor to overall happiness. Simply reflect on positive thoughts to release hormones conducive to feelings of well-being and, subsequently, sleep. So, count blessings, not sheep!
17. Do some journaling
Some studies indicate a helpful link between the practice of writing things down before bedtime and better sleep. Journal entries can include things to be grateful for, new ideas, recent insights gained, lessons learned, etc.
Interestingly, researchers have found that writing to-do lists helped people fall asleep significantly faster than writing about completed activities. Out of your head and onto paper appears to ease stress and anxiety and promote better sleep.
18. Perform a deep breathing routine.
Once in bed, there are several recommended breathing techniques designed to slow down body functions that otherwise can keep you tense and anxious. Slow, deep breathing slows the heart rate and makes it easier to drift off to sleep.
The 4-7-8 is one such breathing technique: With the mouth closed, breathe deeply in through the nose for four seconds. Hold for seven full seconds. Breathe back out for eight seconds. Repeat four to eight times.
Another relaxing and fast-acting breathing practice is the double inhale: Execute two inhales – the first a deep inhale, followed by a short pause and a second quick inhale to “top off your lungs.” Follow this with a long, slow deliberate exhale to vacate the lungs. Repeat. Click here for more details.
19. Adopt a calming, bedtime ritual.
Develop a personalized bedtime ritual that begins one to two hours before bed. Combine a few of the recommendations found throughout this key to create a regimen that works for you. Perhaps, turn off the TV and grab a favorite book while enjoying a warm glass of milk or chamomile tea.
20. Eat a complementary diet.
Your body uses potassium, calcium, selenium, and magnesium in the pursuit of a restful night’s sleep. Food contains the most readily absorbable form of each of these nutrients, so your daily diet should include enough of each. Quality food sources include nuts, beans, bananas, beets, and dairy products.
If your day’s diet is a bit light on these essential food types, consider taking mineral supplements or using electrolyte powders.
Our choice of electrolyte powder: click here. Or if you prefer a capsule: click here.
21. Consider the use of natural supplements.
Occasionally, when necessary, consider taking a natural supplement like melatonin to assist in falling asleep, returning to sleep, and/or staying asleep. Other natural supplements that may prove helpful include Magnesium, L-Threonate, L-Theanine, Ashwagandha, Apigenin, GABA (reduces Cortisol), and 5-HTP (prompts the body to produce melatonin). Avoid taking any such supplements within 3 hours of needing to wake up.
Our melatonin choice: A 1 mg, dissolve-in-your-mouth formula such as this: click here.
As always, when in doubt consult a physician to ensure a particular supplement is right for you
22. Take a hot bath with mineral salts.
A hot bath, or shower, before bed can help lower core body temperature – helpful. Adding mineral salts will promote the body's absorption of magnesium and further help your path toward restful slumber.
23. Check and adjust your optimum sleeping body position.
There appears to be no fixed body position that optimizes sleep for all. Most people do rotate sleeping positions - on average they spend about 55% of their time on their side, 35 % on their back, and less than 10% on their front side.
Individuals who spend more time on their back may struggle with poorer sleep and more frequently encounter breathing difficulties, including snoring and sleep apnea.
Though excessive tossing and turning are detrimental, changing body positions helps prevent bedsores (pressure ulcers) and minimizes the potential for body aches and soreness.
If you routinely suffer from heartburn, try elevating your upper body slightly and/or sleeping on your left side. By doing so you position the stomach below the esophagus and thus allow gravity to help prevent the pain and discomfort of reflux.
24. Have a plan of attack for insomnia.
If or when you find yourself lying awake at night:
25. Use teamwork.
If you have a life partner, work together to uphold sleep as a joint priority. Openly share and communicate each other’s needs, opportunities, and challenges when in pursuit of a high-quality night of sleep.
A rested partner is an easier, more wonderful partner.
26. Consider separate sleep accommodations.
We are advocates of partners sharing the same bed. That said, there are plenty of credible reasons why loving partners might choose to sleep in separate bedrooms. These reasons can include:
No shame; just more sleep for each member of the loving partnership.
27. Make a travel plan.
Sleeping during travel can be challenging, especially when seated. Develop a plan of attack and prepare to execute it. Consider employing one or more of the following in your plan:
28. Make a post-traveling plan to manage jetlag.
For most people, jetlag impairs one night of sleep for every time zone traveled. This means if someone has traveled over three time zones, normal sleep patterns will return after three or more days.
During this recovery period, use an enhanced combination of the previous recommendations to promote greater quality sleep. Consider the careful, temporary use of natural supplements during the period of jetlag recovery (refer to best practice # 21).
29. If employment demands shift work, learn about circadian rhythms.
Shift work, especially rotating shift work, is particularly disruptive to one’s sleep, and thus detrimental to a person’s overall short and long-term health. If you are a regular shift worker, become a student of sleep and its impact on your health.
Develop and implement a strong game plan to improve your sleep. Consider the resources of helpful institutions that can offer focused advice on addressing shift work-related sleep issues. An example: www.sleepfoundation.org.
30. After a bad night's sleep, make a plan.
After a poor night’s sleep, you are vulnerable. Recognize your vulnerability and make a plan as follows:
When you must perform after a poor night of sleep, use error prevention techniques like the following:
Most importantly, commit to longer and better sleep during the night to come. Make schedule changes and solicit the support of others during your upcoming period of recovery.
31. After repeated occurrences of a bad night's sleep, then avoid high-risk situations.
As the impact of poor sleep compounds night after night, you become increasingly vulnerable physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. You are prone to mistakes of all forms including lack of coordination, errors in judgment, and emotional outbursts. Errors will occur and events may occur. Take extra caution to safeguard yourself, your loved ones, and others. If possible, be sure to avoid elevated-risk activities like driving, using power tools, and making critical life decisions.
32. When sleep fails you, beware of your body’s exaggerated demand for food.
Poor sleep can lead to weight gain. Your body will unnecessarily cry out for more, and perhaps odd, foods (e.g., sugar and simple carbs). Understand this demand and prepare to defend against these unhelpful cravings.
33. For chronic insomnia, see your doctor.
And make it an immediate priority to do so! Many people suffer unknowingly from sleep apnea or other medical conditions that impact sleep. Given the importance of sleep to overall well-being, get professional help now.
34. Get a script. When prescribed by a certified physician, use medical prescriptions with great caution and only as directed.
Summary
Every individual is different, thus what works for one may not work for you. Use trial and error with the guidance provided to find the recipe that best works for you.
When employing these best practices, consider how you feel and/or review available data to help evaluate your sleep performance. Then, make behavioral adjustments.
It bears repeating, for a better, longer, more satisfying life, make sleep your highest priority!