For the Love of Sleep
The joy of awakening from a good night’s sleep, refreshed, bouncy, and ready to tackle anything the day throws at you is a thing of wonder. Unfortunately, for too many of us, this is a mystical experience we often fail to achieve when it comes to sleeping.
In the Great British Bedtime report from The Sleep Council, 62% of people surveyed stated that they slept poorly every night, averaging only five or six hours of sleep, and that sleep quality was getting worse.
In addition to a healthy diet and regular exercise, getting enough restful sleep is the most important thing you can do for your health and is one of the keys to looking and feeling your best after sleeping well.
Chronic sleeping problems interfere with your body’s natural rhythms and rob it of the time it needs to restore itself. The incidence of many diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, and depression increases with a lack of sleep. Recent research has even shown a connection between poor sleep and weight gain.
It is during sleep that your body’s innate healing capacities kick into full gear. Your immune system gets revitalized, hormones and metabolism are balanced, and general maintenance, fine-tuning, and repair of all bodily systems is performed. A good night’s sleep, not just once in a while, but on an ongoing basis, is absolutely critical for your good health.
The most common underlying causes of chronic sleep issues are:
- Chronic stress or an over-stimulated nervous system.
- Hormonal imbalances (adrenal, thyroid, and reproductive hormones in particular).
- Poor diet (too much sugar, processed and refined foods, and the common foods that cause sensitivities: gluten and dairy).
- Stimulants or substances that can affect sleep (alcohol, caffeine, medications, recreational drugs, herbs, and even some vitamins).
- Gastro-intestinal dysfunction.
- Chronic pain.
- Sleep Apnoea.
Poor sleep impacts every aspect of life, from focus and energy levels to physical and mental health, and while we are used to receiving advice regarding what to eat or how much to exercise, getting enough sleep remains apparently out of our control.
This is simply not the case. There are a number of things you can do to be in control of your sleep and get that blissful slumber you deserve.
Get A New Bed & Make It A Biggie
Start with the basics, if your bed is over 7 years old get a new one – and if you share it make it as large as your room can take. The support of the right mattress and the space to move as you need to is the foundation of any good night’s sleep.
Wake Up Right
Sleep researchers at the Mayo Clinic believe that if you need an alarm clock to wake you up, it’s a sign that you’re not sleeping right. Alarm clocks interrupt the sleep cycle and prevent sleep from completing naturally, pushing sleep problems into succeeding days. Dawn simulation devices are much more effective at establishing a healthy sleep cycle and gently rousing you from sleep.
Get Some Natural Sunlight Every Day
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, found that it’s actually light itself that governs our sleeping patterns. As sunlight enters our eyes it regulates and resets our biological clocks, which involves triggering our brains and bodies to release specific chemicals and hormones that are vital to healthy sleep, mood, and aging. Many of us get up without the sun, work longer and longer days indoors under artificial lighting, and spend little time outdoors, even in summer. So to better regulate your sleep try to get at least half an hour of regular exposure to natural sunlight a day.
Make Your Bedroom A Sleep Zone
Remove the TV, put the phone in the hallway, clear the clutter, keep bedroom colours calm, and create a relaxing space. Invest in black-out blinds if you have a streetlight outside your window, and get some earplugs if your neighbours like a 5 am start (or finish!). Take the role of the room seriously and make yourself a nest.
Get Some Exercise
Exercise is good for body and mind, and helps you sleep – make sure you don’t let your motivation slip, don’t work out too late and you’ll get the most impact when you get under the duvet. Before bed try some gentle yoga or foam rolling to remove any tension or aches and pains but take it slow, nothing too energetic.
Keep A Regular Routine
Your body and mind like a schedule, so your weekday routine is great but on the weekend it all goes awry and then you find yourself unable to drift off on Sunday night – try to keep the timing as set as you can, without limiting your social life too heavily! At least most nights stop sitting in front of your computer or TV screen and switch off all other electronic devices by 10 pm. They are too stimulating to the brain and inhibit the release of sleep neurotransmitters which are naturally triggered by the dark.
Eat In Accordance With Your Body’s Natural Rhythms
Your digestive system function peaks around lunchtime, so most of your food should be eaten by then. Your metabolism slows down in the late afternoon, leaving you poorly prepared to digest a large dinner; in other words: have a small one. Eat it early, at least 3 hours before going to sleep. Give your body a chance to recover and rebuild, instead of having to work on digestion while you sleep.
Cut Out The Alcohol
Much as a glass or two of wine helps you drop off it disrupts your natural rhythm and your sleep will be disturbed and irregular – leaving you feeling exhausted the next day. If sleep is your priority, switch to something softer – water, herbal tea, or kombucha, for example.
Take Nutrients That Calm Down the Nervous System
Instead of sleeping pills or alcohol, try supplements or herbs that have a calming effect half an hour to an hour before bedtime. Magnesium (300-600 mg) can be helpful as can calcium. The amino acids, L theanine (100-500mg), 5 HTP (50-100mg), and taurine, and herbs like lemon balm, passion flower, chamomile, magnolia, and valerian root can also help you drift off to sleep.
Those are just a few ideas, soothing Epsom salt baths, reading a book, and meditation all help too – the key message is to take your sleep as seriously as you do your diet and physical health in order to establish balance within all aspects of your life.
If you’d like to discuss your personal sleep challenges you contact me directly and I will happily discuss options with you. There are so many nuances to consider and a few small changes can make a huge difference.
You can also read our other blogs for advice, support, and inspiration!
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