8 Tips to a Better Night's Sleep
Within the last couple years, I have gone from being a fantastic sleeper to a horrible one. I blamed my daughter for the first 3 years of her life but she’s been sleeping through the night for the past 2 years so that argument no longer holds up. I’ve been doing some research on the importance of sleep, the effects of poor sleep, and how to get better at it through reading articles, listening to podcasts, and experimentation.
Some of my findings on the health effects of poor sleep include that sleep deprivation interrupts appetite hormones and increases levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates appetite. That means you eat more when you don’t sleep (and I don’t just mean those midnight snacks but that’s part of it). It also slows brain functions such as cognition, concentration, productivity & performance. So you don’t think well when you don’t sleep well. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to chronic diseases & illnesses such as heart disease, strokes, glucose metabolism and Type 2 Diabetes, immune function and inflammation in the body. It’s also a strong contributor (or amplifier) of depression and your emotions and social interactions. (*sited in “10 Reasons Why Sleep is Important” on Healthline.com.)
So yeah, sleep is important. But if you’re like me and for no apparent reason, you find yourself wide awake at 2 AM, you spend that time thinking about how you know you should go back to sleep, you want to sleep, you know you’ll feel bad if you don’t sleep, and then you become anxious, which makes falling asleep that much harder. So I’m offering 8 tips to getting a good night’s sleep. These have actually been working for me lately and I hope they’ll work for you, too. I’ve compiled this list from various sources, including my own experimentations.
Stop eating at least 1 hour before bed. That means dinner, dessert, snacks, everything. The only exception here might be a cup of hot (decaffeinated, obviously) tea. You need to give your digestive system time to work and then time to relax. If you’re actively digesting a huge meal, you may feel tired but you won’t sleep well. I’ll also include dropping any caffeine after about 2:00 p.m.
Avoid alcohol. But wait… isn’t alcohol a depressant that makes you tired? Sure. But it’s also loaded with sugar and what does sugar do? It makes you jittery. So like food, you may feel tired right after consuming that glass of wine and fall asleep with no problems but when that sugar kicks in, you’re going to wake up. If you’re serious about a good night’s sleep, avoid it.
Exercise. This one is kind of a no-brainer but it’s worth mentioning. Get a good workout in and make your body tired. And if high-intensity isn’t your thing, go for a walk or do some gentle or yin yoga right before bed to calm and soothe the body. I’ll post some good before-bed yoga poses in my next blog.
Lie on your back. This was a new, yet so obvious, concept to me when I heard Brett Larkin on the Sivana podcast talking about it. She and I are both side sleepers. I like to curl up in a little ball and get snuggled under the covers. But she said that when you sleep on your side, you throw your body out of balance. Duh. So just like in savasana at the end of yoga, lie on your back. Allow your body the freedom to relax completely, not support you balancing on one side. And don't worry if you wake up on your side. Just roll over on your back and repeat.
Put a yoga bolster under your knees. Don’t have a bolster? That’s okay. Use a big, bulky pillow. This allows your hips and knees to be in a gentle flexion and completely relax. This was another Sivana Podcast tip and one I often use in savasana.
Speaking of that big, bulky pillow, get it out from under your head. There’s no need for you to sleep propped up – unless you have a stuffy nose and can’t breathe, which is a separate issue. You actually need a small, flat pillow. One that supports your head so that your neck is in line with your spine. I do this in my classes a lot for savasana. A folded blanket is just the right size and it should not be under your shoulders at all. Just supporting your head.
Use an eye pillow or at the very least, an eye mask. The pillow is good because the weight of the sandbag actually forces your eyelids and your retinas to close. Just closing your eyelids doesn’t mean they’re resting. Have you ever watched someone sleep (in a not creepy way?) You may notice their eyes flutter or sometimes even slightly open. You’ve never watched yourself sleep so you may be doing that too. The eye cover will allow those eyes to relax and block any light that may be filtering through and sleeping in darkness is great for getting rid of distractions.
GET OFF YOUR PHONE! I’ve saved the most important one for last and all caps. Scrolling on Instagram, reading emails, even playing a mindless game before bed is incredibly stimulating for your mind. It may make you feel tired at first but your brain doesn’t just stop working because you’re asleep. How can you go to sleep with the social media guilt/envy we often get or thinking about all the things in your inbox that need attended to? I’ll also throw in watching TV and reading a book here because they’re all stimulating your mind. If you don’t have issues with sleep, 1) you’re probably not reading this blog but 2) read, watch a movie, do whatever. But if you’re feeling sleep deprived, let your brain turn off. Turn off all devices at least 30 minutes before bed.
The most important thing is to not stress about it. I am aware of how easy that is to type and how hard it is to do. But be gracious with yourself. If you can put a couple of these tips in play to start, maybe you fall asleep a little easier or stay asleep a little longer. Don’t expect a full 10 hours the first night. But acknowledge gradual progress and a full night’s sleep will come. Maybe not every night but sometimes.
May we all sleep as well as my animals.
Namaste.
