Has there ever been a time when you didn’t prioritize sleep? It’s very common! Like nutrition, sleep is a cornerstone of whole-person health. Though it’s frequently undervalued, it’s essential to everything from immunity, metabolism, and productivity to athletic performance and social interactions.
For adults, aiming for seven to nine hours of sleep per night is generally recommended. Of course, it’s somewhat bio-individual and based on factors like health status and age.
About one in four adults struggles with getting quality sleep on a regular basis, and people often try a variety of methods to improve their sleep. Whether you have difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, creating space for sleep in your busy schedule, or shifting habits that prevent truly restorative sleep, a lack of quality sleep can cause stress and make every aspect of whole-person health more challenging.
It can become a vicious cycle: You don’t sleep well, so you feel tired and stressed the following day. As a result, you require more caffeine to stay alert and focused. You also crave more sugar and simple carbohydrates for energy. Maybe you nap or skip your exercise because you’re too tired. All these habits perpetuate the cycle of poor-quality sleep.
The most well-known circadian rhythm is your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. Studies have shown that circadian rhythms can affect bodily functions like digestion, hormone release, and body temperature. Getting adequate amounts of high-quality, restorative sleep helps regulate your circadian rhythms.
Irregular circadian rhythms have been linked to various chronic health conditions, such as:
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Sleep disorders. Some research has connected insomnia with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s .
The glymphatic system is most active during sleep. This is the system that gets rid of toxins the brain accumulates during the day. If you don’t get adequate sleep every night, your brain can’t get rid of toxins effectively, specifically the amyloid plaques that are typically found in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
The good news is that if you can resolve insomnia so that it doesn’t extend longer than a few days or weeks, the long-term impact on your health won’t be significant.
- Tips for Sleep Challenges – Most people are aware when they need more sleep, and they’re often motivated to get it. However, different strategies that work for different people, and you ultimately have to figure out what works for you, no matter what it is. In the section below, you’ll find some common sleep challenges and tips for how to work with them.
How do I improve my sleep health and get my recommended hours of sleep each night?
Nobody’s perfect. Maybe you went out to dinner with friends and got home late, or you got into bed early but had trouble falling asleep because your mind was racing. We’ve all been there! You do the best you can do and try a variety of strategies to figure out what works for you.
Here are 10 ways to improve your sleep and potentially increase the number of hours you’re sleeping (and staying asleep) each night:
- Exercise regularly and find the best workouts for you and your body. Studies have shown a regular exercise routine has a strong impact on getting better sleep over time. It might take a while to notice significant effects, but that’s no reason to not exercise! The incremental benefits help establish a desired sleep schedule by regulating your circadian rhythm so that you go to bed tired and wake up refreshed. Regular exercise also improves mood and decreases stress, which supports better mental health overall. The type of exercise you do, and when you do it, can also make a difference. Doing cardio in the morning to allow your body to experience a dip in blood pressure that you would normally have during a good night’s sleep. A rigorous workout late in the evening – close to when you’ll climb into bed – may negatively impact sleep quality as it can raise body temperature, leading to interrupted sleep. Honor bio-individuality by experimenting with when you exercise and noticing how it affects your sleep. You might want to keep a journal to notice any patterns.
- Limit caffeine (and we’re not just talking about coffee!) – Caffeine is a stimulant, and everyone metabolizes it differently, making its effect on mood and alertness different from person to person. Although there’s no nutritional need for caffeine, the recommended amount of caffeine per day is around 250 milligrams, or three 8-ounce cups of coffee. Other drinks and foods that contain caffeine are tea, soda, chocolate, and even some supplements and over-the-counter drugs, such as headache relievers. If you’re not sleeping well, and you don’t drink coffee or tea, take a look at what you’re having for dessert or taking close to bedtime that might contain caffeine.
- Limit blue light before bed- Blue light, or blue wavelengths, are beneficial during daylight hours because they can help boost mood and attention but seem to have the opposite effect at night. This is because light generally suppresses the natural production of melatonin, a hormone that influences your circadian rhythm and impacts your ability to fall and stay asleep. Studies have shown that blue light suppresses this production even more than natural or artificial light. The best way to prevent suppression of melatonin production before bed is to avoid looking at bright screens 2 to 3 hours before going to sleep, including your phone and TV. For example, for a 10:30pm bedtime, try to avoid screens after 7:30pm
- Optimize your sleeping environment- Creating a space where you feel calm and soothed is a key factor in supporting sleep health, creating a space where you feel calm and soothed is a key factor in supporting sleep health.
- Pay attention to the timing of your meals – Your body contains a “body clock,” otherwise known as a circadian rhythm, and it’s responsible for every biological process in your cells that impacts sleep, hormone levels, and even how you respond to medication. This clock is located in your hypothalamus, and it syncs with your environment through exposure to daylight. There’s also evidence that it syncs depending on when you eat. Research has found that insulin, the hormone released to regulate blood sugar when eating a meal, “can act as a timing signal to cells throughout our body.” This means that eating during times when your body thinks you should be asleep can severely impact your circadian rhythm and your health. A classic example is people who work overnight shifts, and have to eat and sleep on opposite schedules. For the majority of people not working overnight shifts, it’s recommended to eat your last meal at least three hours before going to bed to give your body adequate time to digest and make sure you’re sending the proper signals to your body to wind down for the night.
- Supplement well, if needed – Melatonin, a hormone produced by your pineal gland that regulates your circadian rhythm, is what tells the body when to sleep and when to wake up. Melatonin has become a popular supplement to help regulate sleep. Melatonin has become a popular supplement to help regulate sleep, but while it can help tell your body when it’s time to go to sleep, it doesn’t actually make you fall asleep. As with any supplement, you should consult with your healthcare practitioner about whether it’s right for you.
- Magnesium is also popular to help regulate sleep, but like melatonin supplements, it doesn’t make you fall asleep. Magnesium releases tension in your muscles and calms anxiety, both of which can help you sleep better.. Use meditation and breathing techniques- Do you meditate? Maybe it’s time to start!
- Mindful meditation, which focuses on breathing and bringing your attention to the present, can help train you to break the pattern of negative, stressful thoughts by evoking the relaxation response. The 4-7-8 breathing technique that can help reduce anxiety, manage cravings, control anger responses, and most importantly get you to fall asleep! Essentially, you inhale for four counts, hold for seven counts, and exhale for eight counts.
- Set a consistent sleep schedule to create better sleep habits- Creating healthy sleep habits may seem daunting,but start small. Maybe you commit to turning off all screens a few hours before bed before slowly implementing other changes, such as going without that second cup of coffee in the afternoon or a chocolate dessert. From there, you might experiment with getting into bed at the same time each night. You may notice that you feel – and sleep – better quicker than you expected!
- Be kind to yourself- Don’t beat yourself up for staying awake to finish the last chapter of a book or catching up with an old friend over dinner. As we said, nobody’s perfect, and you have to live your life! Becoming more mindful of your sleep habits is the first step toward better sleep.
“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.”- Irish proverb.
Elena
Holistic Health Coach