Perfecting Your Sleep

Apr 4

Feel free to skip to the bottom of this article to see my 10 tips to improve your sleep.

What is sleep?

Sleep is a crucial aspect of our lives that often goes overlooked. It is when our bodies and minds are able to recover and optimize physical and mental well-being. But what exactly is sleep, and why is it so important?

At its most basic level, sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body characterized by altered consciousness, reduced sensory activity, and inhibition of voluntary muscles.

Sleep is regulated by the circadian rhythm (circa, meaning “around,” and diam, meaning ”day”)—an internal biological clock that is responsible for the timing of the sleep-wake cycle. A variety of factors influence the circadian rhythm including light exposure, exercise, temperature changes, and social cues. But not everyone has the same circadian rhythm; about 40% of people are considered morning people, 30% night owls, and the remaining 30% are somewhere in between.

Different types of sleep

You may have heard of the two types of sleep: non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, and REM sleep.

Non-REM sleep is divided into three stages. During the first stage, you transition from being awake to being asleep, and typically lasts 5-10 minutes. In the second stage, your body temperature drops, and your heart rate slows down. This lasts around 20-30 minutes and is characterized by deeper sleep. The final stage is the deepest stage of sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, and is when your body is primed for restoring and repairing its tissues. This stage typically lasts around 30-60.

REM sleep is when the brain is most active and dreams occur. During REM sleep, the eyes move rapidly back and forth, and all the muscles in the body become paralyzed except for the extraocular muscles (the muscles that control eye movement). This stage of sleep is important for brain development and cognitive functioning. REM sleep typically occurs 90 minutes after falling asleep and accounts for about 20-25% of a typical night's sleep.

Sleep and your health

Despite its importance, many of us struggle to get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night. This can have serious consequences for our health and well-being. Decreased quality and quantity of sleep have been linked to various health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It can also have a negative impact on our mood, memory, and cognitive functioning.

Sleep and memory

Memory consolidation occurs during sleep. This is when memories are stabilized and strengthened. During sleep, the brain replays and consolidates memories from the day, transferring them from short-term to long-term memory. This is particularly important for the formation of declarative memories, which are memories of facts and events. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can impair memory and lead to forgetfulness. Ensure that you get 7-9 hours of quality sleep the night after learning to retain the new information.

Hormone regulation

The regulation of hormones is another key function of sleep. Sleep deprivation can cause increases in ghrelin, a hormone responsible for causing hunger, and decreases in leptin, the hormone that causes a feeling of satiation and fullness. This can cause sleep-deprived individuals to gain weight more easily than if they were sleeping adequately.

A lack of sleep can also increase levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is released in response to stress. Normally, there is a spike in cortisol early in the day after waking but then declines as the day progresses. When cortisol levels are elevated for prolonged periods of time, it can lead to brain fog, muscle loss, high blood pressure, weight gain, anxiety, and depression. Sleep helps maintain healthy levels of cortisol throughout the day.

How caffeine affects sleep

Caffeine is one of the most commonly used substances around the world, but how does it relate to sleep?

Caffeine is a drug found in beverages such as coffee and tea. Its health benefits for focus, cardiovascular health, and mood have been well-established in the scientific literature. But it can also negatively impact your sleep. Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors and blocks the natural sleepy signal your body relies on to fall asleep, ingesting caffeine late in the day can prevent you from getting quality sleep.

The average half-life of caffeine is 6 hours. This means it takes 6 hours for your body to remove 50% of the caffeine’s concentration from your bloodstream. If you have a cup of coffee too late in the afternoon, it can hinder your sleep and leave you feeling groggy the next day. A general recommendation is to have caffeine no later than 8 hours prior to your bedtime.

Can alcohol help with your sleep?

Alcohol has been thought of as a drug that can help people sleep better; however, alcohol causes sedation, not sleep. The sleep that ensues from alcohol consumption will be non-restorative. Sedation and sleep are different events. The non-continuous sleep that follows alcohol ingestion often goes undetected by a person and can make them think they had a good night of sleep. Just notice the lack of alertness and energy the day after a few drinks; this is due to fragmentation in your sleep.

Alcohol use also suppresses REM sleep. Remember, REM sleep is integral to memory consolidation and recall. The decreases in REM sleep due to alcohol can impact your ability to learn and retain information. To increase your learning capacity, try to avoid alcohol use that day to obtain adequate REM sleep and enhance your recall ability.

In general, decreasing or eliminating the ingestion of alcohol can improve your ability to get restorative sleep. A few drinks every so often is nothing to worry about, but if you’re consuming multiple drinks each night, you’re decreasing your ability to get quality sleep.

What about melatonin?

Melatonin helps regulate the timing of when sleep occurs by signaling darkness throughout your body. Melatonin itself has little influence on the generation of sleep, it only initiates the sleeping process. Thus, it shouldn’t be thought of as a powerful sleeping aid, but as a molecule that tells the body when it is time to sleep.

Its supplemental form can be useful for those traveling to different time zones. Jet lag is a dreadful side effect of global travel and can make adjusting to the new sleep schedule difficult. A helpful tip is to take a melatonin supplement a few hours before the normal bedtime at your new destination to trick your brain and body into feeling like it is time to sleep.

10 tips to improve your sleep

Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends.
View sunlight soon after awakening to help maintain a steady circadian rhythm.
Create a relaxing bedtime routine to help you unwind and prepare for sleep. This could include reading a book, listening to peaceful music, or meditation.
Avoid caffeine at least 8-10 hours before bedtime.
Limit exposure to screens and bright lights before bedtime.
Make your sleeping environment cool, dark, and quiet.
- Your body temperature drops 2-3 degrees to fall and stay asleep.
Take a hot bath or shower before bed. This helps divert blood to the surface of your skin and cool down your core body temperature.
Exercise during the day.
Keep your clocks out of sight in the bedroom. Worrying about what time it is when you can’t fall asleep only makes matters worse.
If you can’t fall asleep, or you wake up and can’t go back to sleep, get out of bed to read or meditate until you feel sleepy.

Summary

Get 7-9 hours of sleep most nights of your life to optimize health and longevity.
Sleeping less than 7 hours has detrimental effects on health including increased risk of heart disease, memory loss, weight gain, depression, and more.
Stick to a sleep schedule, but don’t worry if it gets disrupted. Your quality of life is just as important as the quantity of your life.
If you consistently have trouble sleeping, try the tips mentioned above and consult with your healthcare professional.