The Power of Sleep Hygiene
Sleep Hygiene
How much time do we spend thinking and preparing ourselves for a solid night’s sleep? We often take for granted a good night’s sleep; however, this is vital to our health. We go, go, go, but at the end of the day, we need to be in a calm state to get the maximum effects of quality sleep. The two hours before we go to sleep are crucial to the quality of sleep we get that night. Sleep is in my top three list of things to work on when helping patients with chronic illnesses.
High-quality sleep is vital to healing and wellness.
My favorite tool to measure sleep quality is the Oura Ring. It gives you a sleep score every morning and breaks down your efficiency, restfulness, REM sleep, deep sleep, latency, and timing. While we are resting, our bodies are at work healing, restoring hormones, eliminating stress, repairing damaged tissue, improving our immune system, and so on. This is why it is vital to get high-quality sleep. The plethora of sleep disorders is abundant: obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, hypersomnia, insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and more. Sleeping soundly can affect our motivation in other areas of life. Being well-rested makes positive choices that much easier.
The Act of Sleeping
Falling asleep is due to the pineal gland. Following our circadian rhythm, the pineal gland secretes a neurotransmitter and hormone called melatonin. Melatonin helps to calm the brain by suppressing other neurotransmitter signals (in part by countering the stress hormone cortisol from our adrenals). As we become drowsier, the brain slowly begins to turn off our voluntary skeletal muscle functions, which prevents us from moving around too much at night so that we don’t disrupt the body’s internal revitalization work.
The pineal gland secretes melatonin largely in response to darkness. It's part of your endocrine system. The pineal gland's main job is to help control the circadian cycle of sleep and wakefulness by secreting melatonin. The pineal gland is shaped like a tiny pinecone, which is how it got its name! Our cortisol levels decrease best with low-noise, low-stress environments. However, a lot of our evening activity choices can interfere with melatonin production and cortisol lowering, such as watching television, playing video games, checking Facebook, Instagram, or our emails. These devices emit full-spectrum light, which confuses our brain about whether it is actually daytime or nighttime. Eating a heavy meal late at night can also interfere with high-quality sleep. If you spend a lot of time on phones, iPads, or computers, consider wearing blue-blocking glasses during the day to prevent the depletion of melatonin.
Simple Changes That Can Be Powerful
Calm, quiet activities in the evening (read a book, take a bath, go for a light walk).
No full-spectrum light 2 hours before bedtime.
No activities that can lead to stress, e.g., setting a budget, planning for tomorrow, stressful conversations, etc.
No caffeine after 2 p.m.
Quiet space is important, but white noise can be extremely helpful for quality sleep.
Mind the temperature—not too hot, not too cold.
Have a relaxing nighttime ritual. Try our sleepy time drink Organifi Gold.
Calm your digestion—no food 3 hours before bed.
References
Blackwelder, A., Hoskins, M., & Huber, L. (2021). Effect of Inadequate Sleep on Frequent Mental Distress. Preventing Chronic Disease, 18(18). https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.200573
Cheung, V., Yuen, V. M., Wong, G. T. C., & Choi, S. W. (2018). The effect of sleep deprivation and disruption on DNA damage and health of doctors. Anaesthesia, 74(4), 434–440. https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.14533
Cloyd, J. (2023, September 25). An Integrative Medicine Approach to Understanding Sleep’s Role in a Healthy Immune System. Rupa Health. https://www.rupahealth.com
