Give Me More Sleep!
Being well rested can take 5 years off how I look, let alone how I feel. And yet, over the last 7 years it seems harder than ever to get a good night of sleep. I guess it is not surprising I have found myself asking, “What does it take to get a good night’s sleep?”
By the time you reach midlife, gone are the years of being able to go to bed too late, drink and eat too much and too late, be able to sleep anywhere and still function the next day.
In addition, “bad sleep is linked to increases in age-related discomfort and pain. It causes beta-amyloid build-up, which harms brain function and is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. And, it hurts your immune system, increasing times you get sick, and prolongs the recovery time.”
The importance of a good night’s sleep cannot be overstated. And unfortunately, there are no quick fixes or miracle pills. Getting a good night’s sleep is like planning a military campaign. It takes precision and touches every aspect of your life.
The Sleep You Need
Adults need between 7- 9 hours of sleep every night. Of this you ideally want 20-25% to be REM sleep. REM is “vital for restoring the mind and helping the brain deal with emotional information. If a person doesn't obtain adequate sleep, and subsequent REM sleep, it can have a negative impact on one's thinking during the day, their emotions, and overall physical health and quality of life."
The other important type of sleep is deep sleep. You ideally want 22 – 28% of your sleep to be deep sleep. Deep sleep is important for repair and growth, short and long-term memory, and support of the immune system. The rest of your time asleep is comprised of light sleep and awake time.
Getting Good Sleep: Your Environment
The ideal sleeping environment is like a cave. You want the room temperature between 65 and 68 degrees (I find I sleep best when the temperature is closer to 65 degrees). If an open window or AC is not an option, you might try the ChiliPAD, a special mattress pad for your bed. It is designed to help keep your body temperature low which helps promote deeper and more restorative sleep. I have not used a ChiliPAD but a friend does and loves it. However, after looking into it for this article I might give it a try.
Keeping with the cave analogy, you want your bedroom to be dark, I mean pitch black. Apparently, your skin contains photoreceptors like those in your eyes. So even if you wear a sleep mask, it is still ideal to get your room as dark as possible. And as far as sleep masks go, this one by Lunya is my favorite.
In my pursuit of darkness, I have changed the light switches in my room to unlit toggle switches. I also use LightDims Black Out Edition LED Covers, black sticky dots, to cover those pesky red lights on the alarm pad and on our air purifier.
You also need to deal with light coming in through the windows. I have roman shades with blackout roller shades behind them which are easy to pull down at night. This was one of the best home investments I have made.
Next up, noise. To the extent possible you want to minimize noisy intrusions, like the garbage truck or the neighbor’s dog. A white noise machine is great if you don’t live on 100 acres in Wyoming. And even if you do live on 100 acres in Wyoming, your husband may snore, like mine, and I find silicone earplugs help significantly.
I have also changed the bulbs in my bedside tables to ones which emit less blue and green light. These types of light prevent your body from producing melatonin (known as the sleep hormone) and can throw off your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock). I love the Bedtime Bulb by SimpleBulb.
And lastly, good sleep hygiene ideally means no phones in the bedroom.
Getting Good Sleep: Your Bedtime Routine
All the experts recommend a bedtime routine that starts about an hour before bed (it would be even better to turn off all screens 2 hours before bed). This is when you start to wind down, calming both the body and the mind, preparing yourself for sleep.
A good routine might include brushing your teeth and washing your face, a relaxing bath, a short stretching routine and/or reading a book. The purpose is shift from the state of getting things done to a state of relaxation, to prime yourself for sleep.
My routine consists of straightening the kitchen and family room (I hate waking up to a mess), organizing my things for the next day, rolling on my foam roller or stretching for 5 - 10 minutes, brushing & flossing my teeth, washing my face, and then reading for 20-30 minutes.
Lastly, it is recommended to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day! Yup, even on weekends.
Getting Good Sleep: Other Things to Try
Exercise
This is another plug for moving your body. “Research showed that exercise has positive effects on sleep quality, the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency. Researchers have found that thirty minutes of moderate aerobic activity improves deep sleep during which the brain and body rejuvenate.”
Hormone Replacement Therapy
If hot flushes and night sweats are significant sleep disrupters talk to your doctor about Hormone Replacement Therapy.
Meditation
A short meditation is another way to calm the body and nervous system, ease anxiety and unwind before bed. Meditation can increase melatonin levels (good for sleep) and reduces stress.
There are many meditation apps, like Calm and Headspace, which offer guided sleep-focused meditations. You can also check out this article which mentions 13 top-rated sleep apps. Or you can try this easy mindfulness exercise. Focus on the inhale and exhale of your breath for 3 – 5 minutes.
Expert Led Programs
I don’t know much about these but one which caught my attention enough to sign up for a 1-week trial is Sleep Ritual. It was developed by top sleep experts from Stanford University and for only $19 I figured it was worth a try!
Wearable Devices
I also own an Oura ring and wear it occasionally to check in on my sleep and my activity levels. It usually confirms how I think I am sleeping. I know Apple Watch and Whoop are 2 other wearable devices people like. I also came across an app/wearable called Somryst which uses FDA approved Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people with chronic insomnia. It is available by prescription only.
Getting Good Sleep: Things to Take
There are also OTC drugs and herbs which claim to help you sleep better. Some of the more widely known ones are melatonin that research shows can help you fall asleep faster, have better quality sleep, and can help you recover from jet lag. Check with your doctor though as it can interfere negatively with some medications.
There are also teas like chamomile, CBD oil, and drugs like Simply Sleep (like most OTC sleep aids it is an antihistamine). In addition, there are prescription sleeping aids which this article discusses in depth.
Parting Thought
My favorite books on sleep if you want to delve further into the topic are The Power of When by Dr. Michael Breus and Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who completed the survey, I am deeply appreciative! It was great to see the content is resonating and I am basically on track with Holos. Whew!
See you next week…
