We are getting less sleep these days than ever before in history.
Many of us wear sleep deprivation like a badge of honor. Who here hasn’t at one point questioned whether they could be productive while luxuriating in a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep? Insomnia has become the new normal. We have a nickname for those who go to bed at a decent hour: old fuddy duddys.
After seeing how dramatically sleep deprivation affected my own health, I realized how important it was to make adequate rest a priority. There are many healthy habits that can lead to a better quality of life. Many of us can benefit from some simple changes that will lead to amazing, restorative sleep.
General diet and lifestyle habits that will benefit sleep
*Stop drinking coffee at noon.
*Don’t consume sugar or refined carbohydrates after 4pm.
*Focus on your breath when stressed. Here is a great exercise from Dr. Michael Murray. He teaches you to use your breath to trigger the body’s natural relaxation response. Yes, stress affects sleep quality, and it is important to be low-stress all day, not just at bedtime.
*Eat protein. Amino acids are needed to make serotonin, which is the precursor to melatonin. Melatonin signal our brain it is time to sleep. A snack of protein and maybe just a little fat for blood sugar stabilization is perfect before bed.
*Take a break in the early morning to go outside (even if just for a few minutes.) Early morning sunlight helps set the brains’ internal clock and balance any circadian rhythm problems. Light sends signals to the brain that it is time to be awake. These signals will set the stage for you to become sleepy come nightfall. Just don’t wear sunglasses or the light will be blocked from your brain!
*Exercise in the first half of the day. Exercise is a great tool for health and stress relief. Exercising in the evening can cause your adrenaline to spike at a time when you should be winding down.
A good routine for right before bed to improve sleep
*Turn off all electronics one to two hours before bed. I know this can be soooo difficult, but the light from electronics signals your brain that it is daytime. You are in the middle of a Facebook or a Netflix binge and suddenly it is 2am. The reason you are shocked is because your brain received signals that it was earlier.
*Do some light yoga or stretches. This will help you de-stress.
*Eat dinner at least a few hours before bedtime. That way you won’t experience acid reflux from digesting while lying down.
*Develop a routine that readies your body for sleep. This may be reading a book, taking a bath or any other relaxing activity that notifies your body that it is time to wind down and rest.
*Turn off all the lights in your house an hour before bedtime. My husband hates when I do this one but the darkness helps you produce melatonin (a sleep hormone.)
Helpful adaptations to your room that help you sleep through the night
*Get blackout curtains for your windows. Many of us live in cities where there is 24 hour light. This light can seep into the room and jolt you awake.
*Turn your digital clocks towards the wall when sleeping. Yes, digital clocks are another source of light that wakes your brain.
*Keep the bedroom reserved for sleep and sex. That habit of sending e-mails right before bed can cause your brain to associate your bed with wakefulness and work.
There are of course, more serious factors that can cause sleep deprivation.
A few of the more common ones are depression, sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome. When behavioral changes don’t alleviate sleep problems, a doctor’s visit may be in order. This is serious stuff, so make your health a priority and take the time to go.
Sleep deprivation won’t just make you feel groggy. In Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation – An Unmet Public Health Problem, Harvey Colten and Bruce Altevogt use studies to link sleep deprivation to obesity, cardiovascular disease, mood disorders, alcohol abuse and early mortality, among other things. This should be incentive for anyone to make a good night’s sleep (7-9 hours nightly for the average adult) a health priority.
There are many natural supplements that help the body relax and sleep. That is a topic for another day.
This is surely not an all encompassing list. There are many methods to improve the odds of a good night’s sleep. Did I leave out your favorite method? Leave it in the comments below!
Good information, Erica. I’ve always had sleep issues–my Mom would say that out of four kids, I was the one who always wanted to be awake. The others could sleep in like content babies–as adults! I’ve used some of the tricks you’ve mentioned and it has helped: I cover all the electronics in the bedroom, have a dark window blind and recently started running a fan. The white noise blocks things that would wake me: the furnace rattle, cars going by…that sort of thing. And when I’m having a hard time getting to sleep, I concentrate on the fan–that little bit of Zen action seems to be helping! Seven hours is a milestone for me!
It seems like you are doing something right Rose. As time goes on, we become more and more likely to develop sleep problems. This means there are many more 40-year-olds with sleep disruption than 20-year-olds. The fact that your sleep has gotten progressively better means you are really doing something right. Congrats on working up to 7 hours of sleep! I hope things keeping moving in that direction.
Erica, I have had problems with sleep for a number of years. My doctor doesn’t seem to take that seriously – says many older people don’t need as much sleep. That may be true but when you’re dragging yourself around during the day then it means you are not getting the sleep you need and age has nothing to do with it.
I know many of these tips but you’ve listed some I haven’t heard before so I will print this off and keep it handy.
Thanks for sharing.
Lenie, I hope for you that you can eventually see someone else for your sleep problems. As I just said to Rose, the chances of having sleep problems really increases as we age. There is just more time for imbalances to be created. That doesn’t mean it is ideal. Not being able to sleep at 60 is just as exhausting as not being able to sleep at 20. The only difference is that you have way more people to commiserate with. It seems like you already know that. I hope something can be of help to you.
I had horrific insomnia last year (sleeping maybe 3 hours a night) after having a bad reaction to an herbal supplement (yes, natural supplements come with risks.) Luckily I found someone who could help me. I hope the same for you.
Sleep has never been something I have ever, knock on wood, had an issue with but I have known others who did. It is a real problem with most people getting less than optimum sleep and as you say it leads to all sorts of other issues. I did read an article the other day that our sleep pattern is unnatural anyway and that it is believed that we are supposed to sleep in two sets. They made a compelling argument but it is not doable in the world today.
I read that same article Tim! It was very interesting. I think they called sleep after 2am “second sleep”. I agree that modern people aren’t going to do that. They had much longer to sleep back then, especially before electricity when it became easy to stay up at all hours.
Great tips on getting a better night asleep. I tend to go to sleep early and wake up early. I think the important thing to do is figure out what the best time is for you to go to sleep. For me it is 9:30 pm, if I go to sleep at this time and I ate well during the day, I get 8 hours sleep easy and feel rested. But I have to be in bed at 9:00 pm to let my body know I am ready to go to bed. I also think it is so important to let things go before bed. I like doing a to do list for tomorrow before bed. Then my mind can rest. Thanks for sharing.
I love how you get your body to wind down and get ready for sleep. I’ve been doing that this year for the first time in adulthood. When I start to wind down, I often feel like a little kid that isn’t ready for her bedtime. I totally want to keep doing this. Often, I’ll be asleep in a few minutes though. I like how you get your list out of the way so you don’t have to think about it. Sounds like you know well what you need for a good night’s sleep.
I live in Arizona, which is one of the 2 US states that don’t observe Daylight Savings. I do appreciate that my night doesn’t get shortchanged once a year but I have to rethink where I am in relationship to other states twice a year.
Arizona confuses me so much Beth! I have to call Arizona from time to time and I can never remember what time it is! I imagine it is confusing like that for you with every state. But it keeps you on your toes I guess!
This is great information! I’m been looking into this lately as I am experiencing trouble with sleep…maybe it’s an old age thing! LOL But certainly not a badge of honor… I seriously could slap the adult who brags that they pulled an all nighter! It’s neither smart OR noble and sleep deprivation is used as a method of torture. I am trying to be more careful with the things I eat before bed and have just begun to close the plantation shutters in the bedroom. I never found that necessary before.
Jacqueline, I think there are many of us who take sleep for granted who wake one day to find themselves not getting good quality sleep. Hope the plantation shutters work. I’m sure they do mask much of the light. I sleep every night with a sleep mask which I love. I also have blackout curtains in my living room, but not the bedroom. They do help make the home dark when winding down. I really have them to keep our apartment cooler in summer, but there are added benefits!
Embarrassingly my rule on drinking coffee is not after 9 p.m. Maybe I should try to push that up a bit. This is an informative post. Lots of stuff I didn’t know, like how sunglasses block light from getting to the brain.
Haha! Yes, you might want to consider turning to decaf at the very least once it is evening!
Erica, these tips are wonderful, and I’m sure that those who suffer from insomnia will find them helpful.
As for me? I have a habit of reading right before I go to sleep, though, which puts me in a relaxed state and allows me to sleep fitfully. 🙂
Yes, reading is really helpful for many in falling asleep. There are still those who have trouble staying asleep, so it doesn’t eliminate all sleep problems, but it is helpful for many.
Fantastic post and a very thorough look at the problem. I’ve had insomnia for years so am familiar with a lot of the things you suggest. I know from experience that electronics keep you awake but hadn’t reslused it was because of the light aspect- I suspect it’s also to do with overstimulation even email brings. A good book is do much more relaxing. Good suggestion about the morning sunlight. I will definitely make that part of my daily routine. Thanks so much for such a helpful post 🙂
I’m sure the stimulation from the e-mail or other web activities does play a part, so you aren’t wrong there. This is especially true if you are looking at something that is upsetting. But yes, the light also physically tells your brain that it is time to be awake. So electronics cause problems in multiple ways. Yes, try the sunlight. It may help.
These are great suggestions. I know I lack sleep, for me it is in the spring and sometimes fall. I have allergies and they affect how much good sleep I can get. Not being able to breath has a big impact on the oxygen your body gets at night.
I imagine your allergies really do get in the way of sleep William. It is difficult to sleep when you literally can’t breath. I hope you can find something that will alleviate your sinuses during those times as that is not at all fun.
Excellent tips Erica. I normally read before going to sleep and rarely have trouble dropping off. That said, I’ve always been an early riser. No matter where I am in the world I naturally wake up between 3-4am. That would make other people crazy but I do my best writing early in the morning so I’ve just learned to plan my day around it.
Marquita, not sure what you eat in the evening, but you may especially benefit from consuming exclusively protein with a little fat and some non-starchy vegetables. Your blood sugar may be dipping in the early morning, causing you to wake prematurely. The above mentioned foods are good for long lasting stable blood sugar.
Great tips on relaxing and sleeping well. I tend to listen to my favourite songs, which are set to a 20 minute timer, and go off to sleep. I take a few deep breaths -think of my favourite place and am usually asleep by the second song!!
That is nice Mina that you have music that relaxes you. I love that you put it on a timer. I wonder if listening to music before sleep then shapes your dreams.
Very timely for me…thank you! Although we know, it is helpful to be reminded that sleep is critical to nourish the body, mind and soul. Thank you!
The value of sleep really can be underrated. I hope this was helpful to you in some way.
Re coffee consumption, I would add: The later in the day that you drink coffee, the more likely it is that you will have to make one or more middle-of-the-night trips to the loo, which is not exactly conducive to getting a good night’s sleep.
Yes, liquids in general are bad before bed. Obviously, a diuretic would be that much worse and would increase those nighttime bathroom breaks.
I use to have horrible sleep patterns in college. I couldn’t fall asleep until after 3am most days. Thank god it’s not like that anymore.
I think a lot of us in our younger years stayed up super late. And yes, it is good that those habits frequently don’t stay with us into adulthood. Especially when sleep through your morning class is now no longer the option.
“To sleep, perchance to Dream; Aye, there’s the rub.” I try for the 8 hours a night and when I finally achieve it, I feel like I’ve had time stolen from me. Can’t win.
Some great suggestions. I like doing some relaxation yoga in bed (go to You tube for a free routine) it’s basically Yin yoga but with bolsters (pillows)used to support legs back etc for a super gentle stretch.