Getting Quality Sleep

I’ve blogged before about my challenges with sleep.  I think it is my dyspraxia that curses me with the double whammy of needing a lot of sleep and having trouble getting quality sleep. Sleep is a vital contributor to peak performance and mental well-being. I want to cover it in more depth than I did last time. I need a good 8:30 or 9 hours sleep a night to keep at my best.  If I stay up late or if my sleep is interrupted it can take a few days to get back on my game. If I get a few bad nights in a row I get really bad headaches. I do not do well with sleep debt.

Why is sleep important

I’m not sure we really know why sleep is important. Getting quality sleep is probably important to a number of health factors rather than having a single simple purpose. The price of sleep deprivation is clear to see. A University of Chicago study found that the effectiveness of a calorie controlled diet on fat loss was severely impinged by sleep deprivation. A separate study they did found that sleep loss boosts hunger and increases unhealthy food choices. Getting up early to exercise can be counterproductive if weight loss is your goal.

Sleep deprivation causes an increase in cortisol (the stress hormone) and leaders to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Professor Francesco Cappuccio from the University of Warwick reports that “Both short and long duration of sleep are significant predictors of death in prospective population studies.” It is shocking that lack of sleep can more than double the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Those in the research who had cut their sleeping from  7hours to 5 hours or less faced a 1.7 fold increased risk of mortality from all causes.  Serious stuff.

Sleep is also vital for our mental well-being. Just one night with out good sleep can cause over reactions in the parts of our brain responsible for emotion. This research says it quite bluntly:  “Sleep loss is known as a robust modulator of emotional reactivity, leading to increased anxiety and stress elicited by seemingly minor triggers. Sleep deprivation alters emotional reactivity by triggering enhanced processing of stimuli regarded previously as neutral.” There is a reason sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture.

It is not just quantity of sleep that is important. Consistent sleep patterns matter too. A short sleep cycle in the week with longer catch up sleeps at the weekend may appear to help with surface level fatigue but it is still incurring the physical and mental toll described above.  Napping is a good technique for tracking fatigue but it too fails to protect from the maladies of poor sleep.

“I used to suggest that sleep is the third pillar of good health, along with diet and exercise,” Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, said “But I don’t agree with that anymore. Sleep is the single most effective thing you can do to reset your brain and body for health.”

Like most people, I like a quiet, dark place to get quality sleep. My long suffering wife thinks I am worse than the princess in the story of the Princess and the pea. I need the bed sheets just right.  Apparently, this is called tactile defensiveness. Ideally, I’d like the room to be totally dark, darker than the blackout liners make it. In summer I wear an eye mask to help with this. I’d also like the room to be silent.

How to get better sleep

The first step to better sleep is making it a priority. Sleep affects your emotional state which impacts on your personal and professional relationships. It impacts your physical and mental performance. Sleep has a significant bearing on your long term health prospects. It needs to be given the priority it deserves.

Set a routine

Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day (yes even on the weekends). You may want to supplement this routine with an evening wind down

Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day (yes even on the weekends). You may want to supplement this routine with an evening wind down ritual such as a relaxing evening bath or a read of your favourite novel. Creating routine queues you up to wind down and get ready for sleep.  Mindfulness, breathing exercises, or gentle stretching can all help to relax your body and mind before bed. In the evening I like to update my BuJo **LINK** and plan tomorrow to clear my mind. I want to get things out of my head so I don’t think about them.

Create the right bedroom environment

The bedroom needs to become a place of sleep and used only for sleep. Creating the right bedroom environment is about creating a physical and mental space conducive to sleep.  It needs to be dark, cool and quiet.

The bedroom needs to become a place of sleep and used only for sleep. Creating the right bedroom environment is about creating a physical and mental space conducive to sleep.  It needs to be dark, cool and quiet.

The bedroom needs to become a place of sleep and used only for sleep. Creating the right bedroom environment is about creating a physical and mental space conducive to sleep.  It needs to be dark, cool and quiet. The bedroom is a place of rest not a place for important discussions with your significant other, watching TV, playing games on a tablet, or updating your Journal. Do these activities in other space.

The body senses light through eyes and through the skin. A dark place is required to get quality sleep. I have black out liners on my curtains to help create a cave like atmosphere and supplement these with an eye mask.

To get quality sleep a cool and quiet place is also needed. It can be hard to regulate temperature in the summer. There is often a trade between windows open and more noise and windows closed with a warmer room. Find what works for you. I find ear plugs uncomfortable so I try to avoid wearing them if possible. The exception to this is when I travel and I find I always end up needing to use them.

More on light

In the morning (when you get up) you want to maximise your exposure to natural sun light as soon as possible after waking. This help to maintain your circadian rhythm and gets your body ready for the day ahead. It is a natural signal to your body that the day is here and it’s time to wake up. In the evening exposure to the warm setting sun is another natural prompt for sleep regulation.

The complication in TVs and tablets emit lots of the blue wavelength light found in the morning sun. Blue lights disrupt sleep by confusing the brain. It is best to avoid such sources of blue light for an hour before bed. Failing that programmes like F.lux or blue light blocking glasses can reduce the disruptive effect of the screens.

A Harvard study linked blue light to increased cortisol (stress hormone again) and melatonin disruption (melatonin helps regulate the circadian rhythm).

Diet

You don’t want to go to bed hungry but nor do you want to go to bed overfull. Carbs can help promote quality sleep by increasing serotonin release.

On the flip side, caffeine has an 8-hour ½ life so needs to be avoided in the afternoon. Avoid any stimulants in the evening if you want to get quality sleep.
 
Alcohol can impact the quality of your sleep. If you drink enough to need to wake in the night for a toilet trip it will also impact the quantity of sleep.

Exercise

It is important not to exercise too close to bed time. Exercise raises the core body temperature while a slight reduction in core temperature is needed for sleep. Exercise can also increase adrenalin and act as a stimulant. Yoga can be a great way to indulge in light physical activity while promoting your chances of quality sleep.

If it all fails

Don’t lie in bed wishing you were asleep. After 30 minutes if you are still awake go to a different room. Try meditation, or reading, or do a non-stimulating activity. Then try again.

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