Getting a good night’s sleep seems like it should be the easiest thing in the world, but to many, it isn’t easy at all. Getting adequate and quality sleep is something that I have struggled with for a long time. Taking forever to fall asleep, waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep, waking up feeling tired, not rested at all; these are all problems I used to have but I have made some big strides in sleeping, and it has made a huge difference in my life. It takes a little work, but the benefits you can achieve are so worthwhile.
In his amazing book on sleep, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, Matthew Walker breaks down how important sleep is and how to do it better. Much of what I am writing is based on his book; this is the Cliff notes version, plus my personal experiences.
The health benefits of sleeping consistently well and long enough, are greater than I ever realized, and should not be taken lightly. From avoiding everyday ailments like colds and flus, to decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease , diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease, to playing a role in mood disorders like anxiety and depression, sleep really affects every aspect of health and wellness. It has been shown that simply taking a sleep aid a few times a year increases your risk of getting cancer; that’s how important sleep is to your immune system. There are dozens of other examples as well of where adequate sleep is necessary for the proper functioning of the human body. Equally as important, we have all gotten less sleep then we need at one time or another and realize how that affects our job, relationships, mood, and every aspect of our life that next day.
Sleep Hygiene
Human beings are the only animals on the planet who prioritize being awake over sleep, and it is very much to the detriment of our health and wellness. That is one of the most important changes to make for better sleep hygiene, to prioritize sleep. For a long time I kind of scoffed at the idea of sleep hygiene; I didn’t believe that it really made that much of a difference and BOY WAS I WRONG!! Sleep has to be made a top priority, and you need to give yourself a consistent “sleep opportunity” every night. That doesn’t mean you’re asleep for that whole time, but that you’re laying in bed doing your best to be asleep. For me it is from 10 PM to 6 AM, and I have an alarm on my watch that goes off at 9:45 so I know I have 15 minutes to bedtime. Here are the things I have found to be the cornerstone of good sleep hygiene which translates to good sleep.
- Make sleep a top priority and decide on a time to go to bed every night (weekday, weekend, no matter what) and to wake up. Find one that works for you, if you are better late at night and can sleep in a little later then do that. If you get up and work out in the morning, then go to bed a little earlier. For me with my job and unpredictable schedule 10-6 seems to be best, but I am constantly re-evaluating.
- Develop a routine that you follow every night before you go to bed. This is the signal to your body that it is time to start winding down. For me, I brush my teeth, wash my face and do all those things, then I get into bed and read until 10. It doesn’t have to be that routine exactly, but it is important to do the same thing every night.
- Use your bed only for sleep and intimacy, not for hanging out or watching TV, or doing anything else. Again, this makes getting into bed a signal to your body to go to sleep.
- Have a caffeine curfew after which you don’t drink anymore caffeine. It’s important to keep in mind that tea and foods like chocolate also contain caffeine, and limiting these foods later in the day is important. Caffeine has a long half life and a late afternoon pick me up can keep you awake at night. Mine is 3 PM although I try and not have any after 2 if possible. If you’re feeling an afternoon slump, drink at least 8-16oz of water. Hydrating your body may actually be what you need instead of another pick me up.
- Avoid technology late at night: the blue light emitted by phones, TVs, tablets, etc… keep your pineal gland from releasing melatonin. This is a hormone that is essential in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. Pay special attention to looking at your phone in bed, you are pointing that blue light right in your face and telling your brain it’s time to be awake. There are glasses that you can get that block the blue light, and that’s what I use if I really need to look at technology late at night. Another great option if you are having trouble staying off your phone, or the things on your phone that you are viewing tends to rev up your brain, instead of prepping you for sleep, is to put your phone in a different room at night. Even on the counter next to your sink in your bathroom is better than right next to your bed.
- Make sure your bedroom is optimized for sleep. One very important factor is to have the correct temperature in your bedroom. Before you can go to sleep, the body must lower its core temp, and having a cool bedroom helps that process. Doing things that raise your core temp, like taking a hot shower or exercising late in the day, you actually make it harder for yourself to fall asleep. I have 2 fans (3 in the summer) and a cooling mattress pad that have helped optimize my bedroom temperature. Also, having a dark and quiet bedroom will help you fall asleep faster and sleep better. If that means earplugs and a sleeping mask or blackout shades, the darker and quieter your room, the better chance you have of sleeping well. And back to the bedtime routine, find what works for you as far as comfort and enabling your body to fall asleep and follow that same pattern every night.
- Melatonin is an OTC (Over the counter) supplement you can take in the short term to help re-train your body and get on a better sleep schedule. You will need to experiment with the proper dose for you. Starting with anywhere from 1-4mg taken about an hour prior to when you want to be asleep is ideal. Make sure that you have at least eight hours to sleep after you take the melatonin. If you only have five hours before you have to get up, you may feel really groggy in the morning. Recommend starting with 1 mg.
- It is also important to realize that taking sleep-aids, although tempting, is not a healthy way to sleep. That is anything from ambien to benadryl to alcohol. These drugs disrupt the normal sleep architecture and so although you may be asleep, it’s not restful, restorative sleep.
- There are a lot of sleep trackers out there that can give you good information about how you are sleeping. I am a big believer that information is a good thing, and it makes it easier to make changes the more information you have. The Apple and Garmin watches have sleep trackers, which seem to be OK. There are several iphone apps that track sleep, but I do not have a lot of experience with them. There is a ring you can wear that tracks sleep and seems to be the best sleep tracker commercially available.
- Finally, it is important to realize that all of this is a process, not an instant fix, and that these changes are not going to fix things overnight. However, by doing these things consistently over time, your sleep will get better and better, until all of a sudden you realize you are sleeping better than you have in a long time. If you miss a night, or a few nights, you have to just keep on plugging away, to stay the course. The habits you have now did not happen overnight, and will not be fixed overnight.
I used to be a terrible sleeper, in part because of my job, and in part just because I was doing everything wrong in terms of sleep hygiene. I was taking ambien a few times a week to help me sleep, looking at my phone in bed, drinking caffeine late into the day, and staying up later than I should have. As a result I had very low energy, was sick quite a bit, and just did not feel good in general. But I made a conscious effort to make these changes, and it has made my sleeping 180 degrees better. I have not taken Ambien in almost a year, and I sleep better than I ever have. There are still times I don’t sleep as well as I would like, but in general my sleep (and therefore the rest of my life) are so much better.
Further Reading/Information
- https://peterattiamd.com/matthewwalker1/ Part 1 of interview with sleep expert (amazingly insightful)
- https://peterattiamd.com/matthewwalker2/ Part 2
- https://peterattiamd.com/matthewwalker3/ Part 3
- Sleep Smarter by Shawn Stevenson
Thank you! I’ve had trouble getting to sleep for years. I’ll incorporate your ideas
Glad to help! It really changes my life and I hope it does the same for you!