Healthy Sleep Habits
Some of us would think, why sleep is so important for us?
We only live once, why wasting it sleeping? Good questions. For me having a good night sleep means being a good human when I get up that morning. I still remember the fun nights out when I was in my 20’s sleeping for two hours and going straight to work after a good party.
Not ideal, but doable at the time; right now, or I have my 7 or 8 hours sleep or forget about it, I know I won’t be able to perform to my best! And the truth is that long-term health depends on the regeneration that occurs during restorative sleep (Deep sleep + REM sleep = Restorative Sleep). This means that you can be in bed for 9 hours with 2 hours of restorative sleep, or be in bed for 7 hours and have over 4 hours of restorative sleep. In this case the 7 hours are going to be more valuable to your health than the 9 hours of sleep, and truly this is where you want to be. Sleep stimulates secretion of hormones that regulate tissue regeneration, liver cleansing, muscle building, breakdown of fat stores and normalization of blood sugar. Sleep is when our body does all its critical repair work. For most people (depending on your chronotype), the bulk of the body’s repair work occurs between 10 pm and 2 am, so ideally, we should be getting to sleep before that time.
CHRONOTYPES
Find out which chronotype you are:
Either way, in order to get good quality of sleep, you need to create good sleep habits around you, and here I share some suggestions for better sleep.
Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep. To find your true sleep needs, go to bed when you get drowsy and see when you naturally wake up for a week.
Eat dinner slowly, mindfully, and at least 3 hours before bedtime to allow for adequate digestion so that the body and brain can focus on cleansing by activating the glymphatic system, repairing, and rejuvenating during sleep.
If you are like me and like to do some housework at night before going to bed, consider it a mindful activity and not a stressful one. I personally feel grounded when I feel accomplished, and having the house in order, laundry completed, etc. is part of that, so get be most of it with positiveness so I can enjoy later. Try to keep low lights if possible.
Avoid any stimulants before going to bed. For instance, do not drink alcohol at least 3 hours before bedtime. No coffee after 2 pm. If you are taking medications that have a stimulant effect, speak with your doctor to see if this could be contributing to any lack of good sleep and reassess best time to taking it.
Practice digital detox, by disconnecting from your devices at least 30 minutes before going to bed. Do not have them near your bed. If you use your phone as an alarm, place it at least 3 feet away from you, and yes, get up to turn the alarm off.
Do not have any WIFI router in the bedroom, this will disrupt the quality of your sleep.
Another important thing you should be doing, is making sure you have created a perfect environment in your bedroom.
I do not like feeling cold, but our bodies naturally cool down during night. It is scientifically proven, turning down the temperature to 66-68 degrees will help you sleep better.
Make sure you have warm lighting in your room, and when you are winding down, at least 30 minutes before you are planning to fall sleep, turn the lights low. It is important to start letting our pupils used to the relaxing light and start sending this message to our brain.
Sleeping masks, blackout shades or heavy curtains, will help you too, if you feel you really need deep darkness.
Reduce noise, I would not recommend watching tv in the bedroom, if you like to watch a show before bed, don’t do it in the bedroom. Close the windows to avoid unwanted external noises in the middle of the night.
If noise is inevitable where you live, or you like to sleep with the windows open, white noise machines will help you out.
As I mentioned earlier, digital detox is important. One of the reasons why, is to eliminate the exposure we have to blue light. Many studies suggest that blue light from electronics and light bulbs in the evening disrupts the brain’s natural sleep-wake up cycles. In the ideal world we should be screen free 2 hours prior to bedtime, but if that is not possible, there are some easy ways to limit blue light exposure.
Turn off electronics 30 minutes before going to bed. So, if you like to watch a show, use 30 minutes in bed, to read, or meditate.
If using your phone at night take advantage of the night shift mode.
There are blue light glasses you can use if you spend a lot of time in front of the computer.
Implementing an unwinding routine will also set you up for success for a good night sleep.
When you have long days having an Epson bath soak if you can, will relax your body and your mind.
Use aromatherapy like Lavender, Frankincense, Ylang-Ylang, Clarisage, Geranium, Chamomile among some of them.
Reading before bedtime is beneficial not only to improve cognitive function, but to disconnect from the everyday stress.
Get into a night meditation routine before going to bed, it allows you to be present in the moment and appreciate is time to rest.
Try a “brain dump,” journaling thoughts that are troubling you and afterwards write everything you are grateful for the day.
Avoid anxiety-provoking activities close to bedtime, including watching the news, reviewing finances/stocks, arguments, or replying to work emails.
This is the perfect time for sharing intimate time and connecting with partner.
All this are ideas of what you can do to start creating good sleeping habits, and up to you and what works best in your environment, but remember, good habits only happens when you are ready to make changes and stick to them.
Sleep isn't an obstacle standing in the way of a productive life—it is the very thing that fuels it. Tonight, when you start reaching for your phone or turning on that extra episode, ask yourself: Am I choosing a few more minutes of distraction, or am I choosing to give my body the repair work it deserves?
Wellness to your health,
Virginia
