Improving Sleep

Eating, drinking, breathing. All very important biological functions that nobody would ever question as incredibly valuable. Nobody would ever skip (hopefully) drinking anything for two days straight just to get some extra work done. So then why do people willingly go long periods of time without sleep? For some its just difficult getting the quality sleep they desire because they may have picked up some bad habits along the way, whether it be within their control or not.

Last week we talked about the different issues that are caused by sleep deprivation, and now we’re going to look into different ways to improve our sleep.

A Sleeping Routine

The first, and probably the most effective way to improve sleep is by going to sleep and waking up at the same time everyday. Sleeping becomes easier when it is aligned with our circadian rhythm, which is basically our inner biological clock. Having to be tied down to a specific bedtime may seem like a hassle for some people, but once you have it down it actually makes you more productive. Your body will be anticipating that specific time and you will begin to fall asleep more quickly when your head hits that pillow.

Putting down that device

Our phones emit a blue light that will negatively affect our ability to produce melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone our bodies use to control our circadian rhythm. In fact most devices including our tablets, televisions, and computer screens emit this blue light. Some devices have a handy setting or app you can download that will turn down the blue light at a certain point in the day, which definitely helps. Not only that, but having a phone anywhere near you while you try to sleep may give you trouble; thinking about missing out on social media, or reading some more emails can cause anxiety and racing thoughts when you are trying to get some rest. The best solution is to stop using any devices within a half hour before bed and keep them away from you after you climbed in bed so you’re not tempted to check it. If you use it as an alarm clock it might be a good idea to get a good old fashioned wall-plugged one.

Warm Bath

This probably isn’t something you could do everyday as it can be pretty time consuming, but its definitely an option to help you catch some sleep. Most people likely think that the effectiveness of taking a warm bath comes from being warm, but surprisingly its the opposite. After climbing out of a warm bath our body temperature falls which makes it easier to fall asleep. Normally when we are trying to fall asleep; our body will automatically lower its temperature in preparation. Having a cooler room in which to sleep in or having just gotten out of a bath will put your body in an ideal situation to improve sleep.

Exercise

Exercise is an incredibly important tool in a health striving individual, but how does it affect sleep? Generally those who partake in regular exercise have been known to have a higher quality sleep overall, but there are instances when exercise can hamper our ability to get a quality night of rest. Time of day is an important factor to consider. Rigorous exercise raises your body temperature for a few hours after completion, therefore exercising earlier in the day will likely result in an easier time getting to sleep.

Napping

Sometimes in the afternoon after we get home with work; we may feel like dozing off for a moment so we can get on with our day with some more energy. Then when you wake up you feel groggy and worse than when you first dozed off. The trick to this is the duration of the nap. You should aim for about 20 minutes; which will be enough to give you a little boost on alertness, but not enough to kill your mood. Sleeping for around 30 to 60 minutes will cause you to wake up feeling worse than you did before the nap. This is because you woke up in the middle of a sleep cycle which usually takes around 90 minutes. You could take a 90 minute nap, but at that point you would almost be better off just waiting until your actual bedtime.

Avoiding Caffeine

Caffeine is a powerful tool in today’s modern society for keeping us alert and be able to perform at our maximum potential. Unfortunately it can cause us issues when we are trying to get to sleep. The half-life of caffeine, which is the amount of time it takes for our body to eliminate one half of all caffeine from our system, is about 5 and a half hours for a healthy adult. This definitely reduces the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep, and it is recommended not to consume it 6 hours before going to bed.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally produced by our bodies to regulate sleep. There are instances where taking melatonin tablets can be helpful for inducing sleep and allowing us to get the sleep we crave. Some people work shift work and there circadian rhythm is thrown out of wack because of the constant change in sleeping time; others have to take flights across the country or around the world that vastly change their time zone which in turn messes with their ability to get a quality sleep at night. In these instances taking melatonin pills may be the answer.

Melatonin on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3aU2TeT

( Disclosure: These links may provide a discount and in return, give us commission in order to run the website )

Tagged : /

Sleep Deprivation

The Power of Sleep

Quality not quantity of sleep is a problem facing many Americans. Almost half of all Americans report getting poor or insufficient quality of sleep which affects their day to day lives. The average sleep quantity for adults is around 7 and a half hours of sleep, which falls between the recommended 7 to 9 hours, but despite this a significant amount of people feel like their sleep quality isn’t significant.

AgeRecommend hours of sleep
Up to 3 Months Old14 to 17 Hours
4 to 11 Months12 to 15 Hours
1 to 2 Years11 to 14 Hours
3 to 5 Years10 to 13 Hours
6 to 13 Years9 to 11 Hours
14 to 17 Years8 to 10 Hours
Adults7 to 9 Hours
65 + Years7 to 8 Hours

Sleep Deprived?

Being short on sleep one day may not cause you any major issues, but constant and consistent sleep deprivation will start to slowly seep into your everyday life, until one day you may find it a massive challenge just to keep your eyes open. The most common symptoms of sleep deprivation are:

  • Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
  • Yawning
  • Moodiness
  • Fatigue
  • Irritability
  • Depressed Mood
  • Difficulty Learning New Concepts
  • Forgetfulness
  • Inability to Concentrate
  • Lack of Motivation
  • Clumsiness
  • Increased Appetite and Carbohydrate Cravings
  • Reduced Sex Drive

Additionally not getting enough sleep will make you more prone to becoming sick, or if already sick, will increase the time it takes to fully recover. Sleep can also cause weight gain because of increased appetite. So as you can see sleep quality can greatly affect your day to day life.

“After thirty years of intensive research, we can now answer many of the questions posed earlier. The recycle rate of a human being is around sixteen hours. After sixteen hours of being awake, the brain begins to fail. Humans need more than seven hours of sleep each night to maintain cognitive performance. After ten days of just seven hours of sleep, the brain is as dysfunctional as it would be after going without sleep for twenty-four hours. Three full nights of recovery sleep (i.e., more nights than a weekend) are insufficient to restore performance back to normal levels after a week of short sleeping. Finally, the human mind cannot accurately sense how sleep-deprived it is when sleep-deprived.”

“Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker PhD

What causes this?

We live in a 24 hour world; people are incredibly busy and sometimes they would rather keep going than go to sleep. Sometimes they have no choice, and others they just want to squeeze just that little bit extra productivity out of the day and before they know it its 2 a.m. Life is a journey, no need to rush to the end, take the time to get extra sleep, tomorrow is another day. Living a rested life will bring more joy than an extra hour of work, unless of course its crunch time and you waited to the last moment to finish a project. Which happens; we’re all human after all. Lack of sleep a night or two may not cause you a lot of trouble just don’t make it a habit.

Recommended Read on Amazon:
( Disclosure: These links may provide a discount and in return, give us commission in order to run the website )

“Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker, PhD: https://amzn.to/3dFsOZT

Next week we will talk about improving your sleep habits to live a more restful life.

Tagged : /