Getting a Good Night’s Sleep

September 11th, 2017

Scientists are finding that sleep has numerous health benefits including reduced stress, improved blood sugar and blood pressure control, improved mood and concentration, and even weight reduction!  In The Sleep Revolution, the author Arianna Huffington mentions that she thinks she could have been much more successful in life if she had slept more.  She often jokes, “We should sleep our way to the top!” Here are some tips to get a better night’s sleep.

• Shut off electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime.  The lights in our devices such as tablets, TV’s and phones can trigger receptors connected to parts of the brain that tell us, “it’s daylight, you should be awake.”  Obviously, this is not what we need at the time when we should be drifting off to sleep.
• Use an eye mask and earplugs.  Even the faintest light or sound can wake us from sleep.  Sometimes, they may not wake us completely from sleep, but bring us to a less restful type of sleep.  People who sleep “enough hours” but don’t feel refreshed in the morning may unknowingly be having these “micro-awakenings.”
• Avoid caffeine after noon.  Many of us are more sensitive to caffeine than we think.  There are also many more food items with caffeine, sometimes hidden.  For example, dark chocolate is quite trendy with some chocolate bars advertising 60% or more of cacao (chocolate bean).  Cacao actually contains quite a bit of caffeine and at these amounts could certainly keep you up at night.
• Keep a regular sleeping schedule during the weekday AND weekend.  The human body likes routine.  Keeping a set bedtime and waking time is a must!  If you want some extra shut eye on the weekend, you can have an extra hour of sleep in the morning, but any more than that and your body clock will find it difficult to get back on track the following Monday morning.
• Turn your alarm clock  face around towards the wall.  Clock watching can be anxiety provoking.  Imagine you look at the clock and it reads “3:45 AM”, you have a work presentation in the morning and you start thinking “If I can’t go to sleep, my presentation will be ruined.”  The anxiety caused by this thought can trigger further negative thoughts that will keep you awake.  By purposely making yourself unaware of the current time, you may reduce some anxiety.  The red or blue light of the alarm clock can also sometimes be bright enough to stimulate your eyes’ photoreceptors.
• Meditate before you go to bed.  Leave the worries and anxious thoughts of work or family life outside of the bedroom.  Meditation is a great way to clear your mind.
• Exercise, daily if possible.  These days, our bodies just aren’t tired because we just aren’t exerting ourselves in our lives.  Even 20 years ago, people got more exercise.  I remember 20 years ago, when I got a paycheck, I walked to the bank, waited in line and deposited the check.  Now, we have direct deposit so even that small bit of “exercise” is gone.  Even 5 minutes of exercise per day can improve your sleep.
• Avoid drinking fluids within 1 hour of bedtime.  The human bladder holds enough fluid to fill a small bottle of water.  If you drink any more than this, you will likely have to urinate in an hour.  Any interruption in sleep, even to urinate can reduce the time in the deepest sleep when we get the most health benefits.
• The bedroom should only be for sleep and sex.  Avoid using the bedroom as an entertainment center or dining room.  Over time, your mind will associate the bed with those activities and not with sleep.
• Don’t toss and turn in bed.  If you can’t fall asleep, don’t fight it.  Your mind is telling you it’s not ready for sleep.  Get out of the bedroom and go to a quiet place in your home, turn on some dim lights (dimmers are a MUST) and read something boring.  I find textbooks work great for this! (ever wonder why it was so easy to fall asleep in college?)
• Avoid daytime naps.  Try to stay active and not take “cat naps”.  They can throw off your sleep schedule.
• Reduce intake of excessive sugars and carbohydrates.  These are great when you need quick energy and need to wake up, but not when you are winding down.
• Drink warm milk.  This recommendation from mothers and grandmothers really does help for some people. Other foods that can promote relaxation are chamomile tea, kava kava tea and wine (no more than 1 glass or it can have a negative impact on sleep).