Sleep Hygiene: Why sleep is so important and ways to improve your sleep quality

When we sleep our bodies and brains go into repair mode.  The systems of our body get to rest, junk gets cleared out, muscles are repaired, certain substances like cytokines are produced which help our immune system function, and so much more.   We need these repairs to take place to function at optimal health, and yet, for so many out there, consistently good sleep seems like a thing of the past; something that happened when we were toddlers with no cares in the world.  

The long-term effects of poor quality or not-enough sleep are shocking and include: increased risk of type 2 diabetes, increased risk of Alzheimer's, poor hormonal health (low testosterone in men for example), increased stress, and more.  Dr. Peter Attia has an excellent book called Outlive where he dives into the importance of sleep in one of his chapters.  It is an informative and eye-opening chapter.

Sadly, it is so rare to meet an adult who says, "I get great sleep all the time!".   It's easy to feel helpless, to point the finger and blame a difficult job, stress, too much responsibility, etc.  But if we examine our habits, I am sure we will find that stress and grown-up responsibilities aren't the only things getting in the way of better sleep.   Often, our habits and lifestyle choices are impacting the quality of our sleep far more than we realize.  The good news is, there are SO many things in our control to help us get better sleep.  

 

The term "sleep hygiene" was created to describe these good habits.  In the same way that physical hygiene requires actual actions to be effective, sleep hygiene requires a little leg work as well.  If you want clean teeth you have to actually brush them.  If you want to avoid crazy toenails, you need to clip and file them.  If you want better sleep, there may be habits you need to put in place to get it.  Helplessly awaiting a time when you are less stressed will most likely not do the trick, and getting good sleep is too important for our overall health to be ignored.  

Here are some pillars of good sleep hygiene:

1. Get Sunlight 

One of the most powerful internal forces for better sleep is our pineal gland and the circadian rhythms it controls.  There is an entire hormonal cascade that happens when we get sunlight in the morning and throughout the day and then limit the light we get at night.  I won't bore you with all the neuroscience, if you are interested check out this podcast by Dr. Andrew Huberman.  Just know that physically going outside in the morning and during the day and then limiting the light you put in your eyes at night will help your internal clock function the way it was meant to.  You will feel more awake when you should and sleepier when you should.  

2. Have an evening routine

The power of routines cannot be understated.  I have always been at my best physically, mentally, and spiritually when I keep a consistent morning and evening routine.  You can extrapolate the benefits in so many ways but where sleep is concerned having good habits in the 1-2 hours before bed can make or break your sleep quality long-term.  Here are some ideas for things to include in a nightly routine: 

• Put your phone away at a specific time each night
• Wash your face and brush your teeth
• Take a warm bath or shower (use Epsom salt for added magnesium and muscle relaxation)
• Make a cup of hot tea (or any non-caffeinated, low sugar beverage)
• Read, journal, work on something creative that doesn't require your phone
• Pray/meditate
• Stretch
• Lights out around the same time each night, and alarm set for around the same time each morning.

3.  Put your phone away 1-2 hours before bed

As stated earlier, getting a lot of direct light to your eyes in the evening hours can throw off your natural circadian rhythm.  This combined with the negative impact that our phones can have on us makes it a very bad habit to have before bed.   Reading doomsday headlines can increase our heart rate and release stress hormones, mindless scrolling can reinforce already dysfunctional dopamine pathways that keep us addicted to scrolling, anxiety increases, etc.  We all know the feeling.  Making a habit and a boundary to put your phone away is one of the best forms of self-care you can do, and it'll be great for your sleep!  If you have to work on a computer later in the evening, try wearing blue-blocker glasses and dimming the lights in your environment to decrease the amount of light you are taking in.  And one last tip, recently I bought an old-fashioned alarm clock and will charge my phone in the office, using the alarm clock to wake up so I am not tempted to scroll before bed, I have loved removing that temptation!

4.  Watch what you eat before bed. 

Many cultures around the world consider lunch the big meal of the day and eat something light for dinner.  We could learn something from this practice as having a heavy meal or something really fatty or full of sugar too close to bed time can affect our quality of sleep.  Having to process and digest heavy, unhealthy foods is perceived as stress in the body and can raise our heart rate and lead to less restful sleep.  Some people find it helpful to stop eating entirely after a certain time, around 2-3 hours before sleep.  Some people have mainly protein or something light.  Do what works for you but keep these facts in mind.  

5.  Decrease or eliminate alcohol, especially 3 hours before bed

Drinking alcohol is one of the single most impactful things on our quality of sleep.  If you wear a sleep tracking device like a Whoop or Oura ring you may have noticed how your sleep values plummet after having a few drinks before bed.  Many people feel alcohol relaxes them, but I would encourage you to do some reflection here as this is not a long-term solution for your overall health.   This is an article that has a lot more information on this topic.

6. Limit caffeine or other stimulants to earlier in the day

Even if you feel like caffeine doesn't affect you, you may not realize the impact it is having on your sleep.  See the above linked podcast by Andrew Huberman for a more scientific explanation on how caffeine affects sleepiness.

7. Exercise

Exercise is incredibly important for overall health.  Exercise invigorates you during the day when you are supposed to be awake, and makes the rest and recovery (sleep) that much sweeter.  That being said, if you exercise right before bed you might find that you are keyed up and it's harder to unwind, take that into consideration if you are really trying to improve your sleep habits.

8.  Avoid naps during the day

One of the best things you can do for your sleep is have consistency around when you fall asleep and when you wake up.  Naps will typically throw this off as they may make falling asleep more difficult.  Try to save up your sleepiness for when you can get a good 7-9 hours of night sleep.  

So there you go!  Some things to take into consideration if you are trying to improve your sleep.  Try starting with one or two tips and see what difference it makes.  Some of these may not be possible or feasible right now for you, like for me I am 6 months pregnant and sometimes need a mid-day nap after working all morning, that's ok.  Long-term I know that a habit of napping may not be the best choice for my sleep, and I'll cross that bridge when I get there.   

Your health is worth investing in.

Never give up.

With love,

-Sarah