How to Sleep Better: Sleep Hygiene 101

Here are some life hacks you can incorporate into your bedtime routine and bedroom to help improve the quantity and quality of your sleep!

Why sleep is important

There are many different theories that have been proposed over the years by scientists to explain why we sleep. One theory suggests it is an evolutionary adaptation to inactivity at nighttime, a time where we would have been particularly vulnerable to predation. Another theory, suggests that sleep serves to conserve energy, as energy expenditure is reduced by 10% during sleep(5). This would be more evident in times when food is scarce.

The restoration theory of sleep proposes that sleep serves to restore and repair many bodily functions. This theory has been increasingly supported by empirical evidence suggesting our immune system, endocrine system and musculoskeletal system all suffer when sleep deprivation occurs. In addition, certain waste products of cellular metabolism (ie adenosine) build up during wakefulness, and can only be cleared during sleep(1,5).

A more recent theory, the brain plasticity theory of sleep also has compelling evidence. When we are asleep, important structural changes and reorganization occurs in the brain. It is vital for infant brain development, and evidence from sleep deprivation show clear correlations in our ability to learn and perform a variety of tasks(5).

It is likely that the reason we sleep encompasses some aspect of each of these theories as each theory proposed has some evidence to support it, however none have yet been 'proven'.

Sleep Hygiene

1. Keep electronics out of the bedroom

Aside from the blue light and electromagnetic frequencies that many electronics emit, another concern is the use of the bedroom for activities that are stimulating. Experts suggest limiting the use of your bedroom for sleep and sex. This includes working on your laptop from your bed, an activity many of us are guilty of!

2. Limit blue light exposure

Blue light mimics sunlight and effects our body's natural sleep cycle known as our circadian rhythm. When the sun sets, this prompts our body to start producing a hormone called melatonin and limit our wakeful hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol peaks as the sun rises and decreases as the sun sets. Blue light has been shown to block melatonin production and in consequence, disrupt the circadian rhythm, contributing to insomnia (3).

Blue light is found in most electronic screens such as TVs, smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers. It is also found in LED lights.

Use a blue light blocker for your phone, computer, tablets and smart TV. Most iphones come with night mode and require that you activate this setting. For androids, laptops and tablets you can download an app to block blue light in the evenings.

In addition to having a blue light blocker on your devices, you can also wear amber glasses that will physically block the blue light. A randomized control trial showed that wearing amber glasses 2 hours before bedtime improved insomnia for a statistically significant portion of the participants.

3. Limit screen time giving yourself a minimum of 20 minutes before bed with no screens.

This overlaps with number 2, as screens emit blue light which can keep us awake. Regardless of the light exposure, it is a good idea to disconnect from electronics and reconnect with your surroundings before trying to lay down to sleep. It can help relax the body and reduce stress before attempting to sleep, making the transition much more smooth.

4. Incorporate a mindfulness exercise or activity into your bedtime routine.

This could be as simple as taking 10 slow breaths as you law down to go to sleep. I recommend doing what I like to call '4x4 breathing'. You inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds and hold for another 4 seconds until you inhale again. I like to do this about 10 times. This is a simple trick to relax your body and take you from an alert sympathetic state to a restful parasympathetic state. This might also include meditation, bedtime qigong or yoga, or simply stretching before bed.

Napping

keep your naps under 20 minutes. Napping for more than 30 minutes can affect your sleep drive making it harder to fall asleep later in the day(1). It has also been shown that 10 minute naps are most effective for increasing productivity, alertness, cognitive performance and for decreasing the amount of time to fall asleep (sleep latency) in the evening(2).

Stubborn cases of Insomnia

For many people, simply incorporating good sleep hygiene into your sleep routine is sufficient to resolve insomnia. For others however, nutritional intervention is sometimes necessary to correct severe imbalances that may be contributing. The use of calming neurotransmitters and their precursors, hormones or cofactors for those neurotransmitters can help many people improve their sleep. The use of nutritional intervention should not be implemented long-term, and should be used to help correct an imbalance or deficiency in the short term. If you are dependent on melatonin to fall asleep, then you have not addressed the root cause of your insomnia.

In addition to nutritional supplements, many botanical medicines have been used to help with insomnia, and have much less side-effects or risk of dependancy than certain prescription drugs commonly prescribed for insomnia.

For more information on Herbs and Supplements that you can use to improve your sleep, book an appointment with a Naturopath and have your full case taken to help them choose what treatment would be best for you.

Sweet Dreams! Zzz...

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References

1. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy-sleep/sleep-science/the-science-of-sleep-understanding-what-happens-when-you-sleep

2. Brooks, A., & Lack, L. (2006). A brief afternoon nap following nocturnal sleep restriction: which nap duration is most recuperative?. Sleep, 29(6), 831-840.

3.West, K. E., Jablonski, M. R., Warfield, B., Cecil, K. S., James, M., Ayers, M. A., ... & Hanifin, J. P. (2010). Blue light from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) elicits a dose-dependent suppression of melatonin in humans. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

4. Shechter, A., Kim, E. W., St-Onge, M. P., & Westwood, A. J. (2018). Blocking nocturnal blue light for insomnia: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of psychiatric research, 96, 196-202.

5. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep/why-do-we-sleep