By Sarah Teck, Ph.D. | Original Post at SarahTeck.com
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Matthew Walker
Even one night of poor sleep can follow with a challenging day. We may think with depleted clarity or respond to minor stressors with less grace and calm. We know our body craves sleep during an illness, and maybe we have noticed that when we give into that need, our body tends to fight the illness faster. Sleep has both short-term and long-term health benefits. Sleep is vital to clear metabolic waste products that accumulate during an awake, active brain. In 2013, scientists (Xie et al. 2013) described and named this system for clearing waste from the nervous system called the glymphatic system, which works at an increased efficiency during the slow-wave sleep phase. Researchers theorize that Alzheimer’s disease may be linked to the accumulation of protein plaques in the brain disrupting normal brain function, thus some experts agree that adequate sleep may be one of the best proactive measures we can take to reduce the risk of cognitive decline. Particularly, ensuring that our bodies get enough slow, delta-wave sleep (sleep phase 3)—the deepest phase of non-rapid eye movement sleep—is most important.
Routine and mindset
Greater than seven hours is ideal, so perhaps aim for eight hours of sleep, since the middle of the night awakenings is common. If wake up time is 6 am, for instance, you should try to fall asleep by 10 pm, so perhaps be in bed or relaxing by 9 pm promoting sleep by reading with dim lighting or meditating lying down. Of course, this would all shift earlier, if wake up time is earlier.
If you are having trouble falling asleep, practice breathing exercises or meditate lying down. Try not to worry about your performance the next day nor should you dwell on the fact that you are having another challenging evening. Surrender to the moment and know that your body can handle some lack of sleep. If your mind is fixated on something that is bothering you, write in a journal or read—somehow let it go and focus on your breath in the present moment, especially lengthening your exhale to promote relaxation.
Routines often help people who are struggling with sleep, whether you are an infant, an adolescent, or an adult. Create your own daily routine to prioritize your sleep. With better sleep comes a better mood, and in turn hopefully better sleep again. Daily activities will shift of course, but prioritizing sleep throughout your day means focusing on your healthy body and mind to optimize sleep, which will yield many other health benefits. Avoid any activities other than sex, light reading, or sleep in your bed.
Manage your stress during the day to promote better sleep at night. In particular, try to not engage in heated discussions or think or read about “heavy” topics during and after dinner. Stress promotes the production of cortisol which could keep you awake. Especially at night, try to let go of that which you cannot control. Try your best to focus on gratitude and remind yourself to use deep, cleansing breaths, or meditation techniques during any tough nights.
For the short term, sleeping pills may be helpful, but if they cause grogginess during the day and a higher need for caffeine, they may not be worth it. Studies show that sleeping pills (as well as alcohol and THC) do not promote deep sleep which is beneficial for long-term brain health (e.g., sufficient deep sleep reduces the likelihood of Alzheimer’s). Deep sleep is also the time your body devotes energy to repairing and regenerating tissue. Your body naturally tends to get more deep sleep during the hours of 11 pm – 3 am, so that is another reason why getting to bed early is so beneficial to your health.
Environment, light, and temperature
If at all possible have your sleep area be cool, dark, and quiet. You can use an eye mask (or a dark bandana or long sleeve of a shirt) over your eyes to block out light, and use ear plugs if helpful. Blue wavelengths of sunlight signal to our brain that it is time to wake up in the morning. Let your eyes be exposed to natural sunlight as soon as you wake up or as soon as the sun rises for 15-20 min, which may support a cortisol awakening response (CAR) to help you feel awake and boost your mood. Exposure to natural light can increase serotonin (the good mood hormone) in the morning and throughout the day, so whenever possible be near a window or spend time outside.
Nowadays with digital devices and bright light bulbs shining on our faces until bedtime, our brain can be tricked into thinking it is morning. We may have trouble falling asleep after all of this artificial light exposure. Bono had the right idea! Perhaps his signature orange-tinted glasses supported better sleep after being under those bright stage lights at night. Experts say that blue light blocking lenses should be worn anytime you are working on a screen, and around the house after sunset. Clear lenses are available that also have the ability to filter blue light. Try to not use a bright light near your eyes (like a bright flashlight, computer, or phone) after 9 pm but preferably 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Our internal body clock (circadian rhythm) that regulates our sleep-wake cycle is tied to sunlight and temperature, but we have disrupted our ancestral lifestyle with artificial light and heat. Researchers have shown that there is an ideal temperature for supporting sleep, and a drop in temperature in the evening can signal to the body that it is time to sleep. Many houses have thermostats that can keep the house at a comfortable temperature for 24 hours a day, so consider turning the thermostat temperature down at night. Aim for your bedroom to be 60 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 19.4 degrees Celsius). However, if you are sleeping with an infant less than 11 weeks old, their bodies have not developed a strong mechanism for regulating body temperature, so 69 degrees Fahrenheit (20.5 degrees Celsius) would be better.
If you live in a warm climate or don’t have a thermostat to lower the temperature, you can take a warm shower before bed, which tricks the body into cooling down once you leave the warm water.
Physical activity
Generally being physically active throughout the day is beneficial to sleep and also to general health. Exercise can improve slow-wave sleep in particular (Park et al 2021). Stand, walk, and push (SWAP) as Dan Pardi recommends. Stand: Make it a goal to stand for half of the day, or take standing breaks every 30 minutes. Invest in a standing desk, if you spend a lot of time at your desk. Walk: Aim for 10,000 steps per day. Push: each week aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise, and 30 minutes of the Nutrition and supplements-intensity exercise.
Find a schedule that works for you. Many may prefer their “push” movement on an empty stomach (more than 2 hours after a meal), but this may not be the best for you. Avoid doing cardio, strength training, or a strong yoga practice two to six hours before bedtime. Norepinephrine and cortisol that rise during exercise might make it difficult to fall asleep later, depending on how these exercises affect you. Don’t beat yourself up if you are too tired to do a proper workout one day, a recovery day with light stretching and walking is beneficial for your body too.
Nutrition and supplements
Some foods that are good at promoting sleep are those high in tryptophan, which gets converted to 5-HTP and then converted to serotonin (which boosts mood and sleep) and then converted to melatonin (which regulates the sleep-wake cycle). Especially for people that are on a low-carb diet, try to focus on getting complex carbohydrates at dinner-time. Carbohydrates increase the availability of tryptophan to the pineal gland. Magnesium may increase melatonin secretion, and melatonin can in turn increase gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)—a calming neurotransmitter and naturally occurring amino acid. Glycine can promote sleep and can decrease body temperature. Antioxidants including vitamin C and E can promote the restorative benefits of sleep.
The majority of serotonin is produced in the gut, and carbs are required to convert tryptophan to serotonin and for serotonin to reach the brain. If you tend to have a low-carb diet, make sure to eat the majority of your carbohydrates at dinnertime which may support your sleep. Often if people do not eat enough carbohydrates at dinnertime, they may be hungry at bedtime which can make it more difficult to fall asleep. However, eating too much at dinnertime or a heavy snack right before bed also may make it hard to fall asleep! Aim to finish your dinner at least 2 hours before bedtime.
Try to focus on eating sufficient vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. Avoid vegetable/seed oils (deep-fried foods), artificial sweeteners, and processed foods (including an excess of white bread and white flour). If you crave sugar, eat fruit. Try to avoid sugary sweets as much as possible. This will help regulate your blood sugar which may help your sleep and general well-being. Consider weaning off caffeine and switching to decaffeinated drinks. This can help sleep immensely. Many recommend to consume caffeinated beverages before noon, but sometimes it can still affect sleep. Avoid other stimulants like chocolate after noon too. Maybe experiment with this because stimulants can boost mood too, so many sleep-deprived people are drawn to them—but it often comes at the expense of sleep and so begins the next day cycle of having an off mood due to lack of sleep.
Support sleep to support your overall health
Your circadian rhythm controls your physiology, regulating not only your sleep-wake cycle but also neurotransmitter secretion and metabolism. Thus any disruption in your sleep cycle will result in a disruption of your physiology. In extreme cases this may result in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation—a condition sometimes referred to as “adrenal fatigue.” It is characterized by a collection of symptoms including fatigue, poor sleep, reduced immune function, reduced tolerance of stress and exercise, reduced libido, and brain fog. Besides regulating your basic physiology and your optimal weight, sufficient sleep can help you with focus, concentration, immune function, exercise performance, lower risk of heart disease, depression, Alzheimer’s, inflammation, and depression—to name a few. Finally, for all of those parents out there, I do believe better sleep is associated with greater patience and grace in parenting.
Additional Resources and references
Misiak, B., Łoniewski, I., Marlicz, W., Frydecka, D., Szulc, A., Rudzki, L., and Samochowiec, J.. (2020). The HPA axis dysregulation in severe mental illness: Can we shift the blame to gut microbiota? Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 102, 109951. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109951.
Eckel-Mahan, K., & Sassone-Corsi, P. (2013). Metabolism and the circadian clock converge. Physiological reviews, 93(1), 107–135. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00016.2012
Kresser, Chris. The Paleo Cure. New York, Little, brown Spark. 2013.
Park, I., Díaz, J., Matsumoto, S. et al. (2021). Exercise improves the quality of slow-wave sleep by increasing slow-wave stability. Sci Rep 11, 4410 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83817-6
Romm, Aviva. The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution. New York, Harper Collins, 2017.
Walker, Matthew. Why We Sleep. Harlow, England, Penguin Random House, 2018.
Xie, L., Kang, H., Xu, Q., Chen, M. J., Liao, Y., Thiyagarajan, M., O’Donnell, J., Christensen, D. J., Nicholson, C., Iliff, J. J., Takano, T., Deane, R., & Nedergaard, M. (2013). Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain. Science (New York, N.Y.), 342(6156), 373–377. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1241224
