A proper night’s sleep can be hard to find, but good sleep hygiene habits can go a long way to giving you a restful night.
Sleep is one thing we all need; it’s the foundation of everything we do. Yet sometimes it’s the one thing we can’t get, no matter how hard we try. We can go through seasons of life when we struggle to sleep, especially when there are small children in the house or when we are unwell. There can also be temporary disruptions to sleep due to stress or hormonal changes. Sometimes, it can seem as though we might never get a good night’s sleep again. There are things that we can do to support our sleep, and by creating good habits, we are more likely to get the most out of the sleep we do have.
So what is sleep, and what does it do for us?
Sleep has several stages, including NREM and REM. NREM sleep has 3 stages, each with distinct brain wave patterns and characteristics. Rapid eye movements and vivid dreaming characterise the REM stage of sleep. Although scientists don’t know the full extent of what happens when we sleep, it is vital to our bodies because it allows them to regenerate. Sleep plays a role in allowing our brains to store memories, regenerate tissues, and support cognitive function. We need sleep to help us regulate our mood, emotions, and overall wellbeing.
Consistent Sleep and Wake Time
One of the best ways to support your sleep is to maintain a consistent sleep-wake time. Try going to bed and getting up around the same time, even on weekends. It trains your body when to expect rest, and this consistent pattern has positive implications for mood, sleep and even heart health.
Why Does It Work?
Having a consistent wake time is key to setting your circadian rhythm (body clock). This consistency sets biological processes in motion, including the timing of when your body releases cortisol, the hormone that signals your body it’s time to be awake and alert, and the timing of melatonin production in the evening to prepare for sleep.
Cut The Caffeine
If you’re having trouble sleeping, an automatic reaction is to increase caffeine intake during the day to help you stay awake, which can create a vicious cycle. You don’t sleep, so you reach for caffeine, which can, in turn, affect your sleep. Caffeine makes it harder to fall asleep, leading to lighter sleep, and causes you to need the toilet more during the night. When considering our overall caffeine consumption, we need to recognise that it is a stimulant found in foods like chocolate and in many drinks, such as tea, coffee, and cola. Controlling your caffeine intake can significantly improve your sleep.
Why Does It Work?
It is important to note that not everyone responds to caffeine the same way. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others, while I have found I have a lower tolerance for caffeine as I age. One way caffeine works in our brains is by blocking adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a chemical that builds up in our brains while we are awake; the more we have, the sleepier we feel. When caffeine blocks the receptors, it can be one of the factors that disrupts sleep, so reducing caffeine allows the natural process to continue. Limiting my coffee intake to two cups a day and not drinking coffee after 12pm has significantly improved my ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Ban Bed Rotting
Have you heard the term bed rotting? It refers to the tendency to stay in bed for long periods while awake, binging on Netflix, scrolling on devices, or reading to relax or avoid stress. Bed rotting as a one-off is not necessarily bad, but it can become habitual. Using our bed for things other than sleeping (and intimacy) can affect sleep. If you are struggling to sleep, make it a habit to only use your bed for sleeping and not treat it like a couch. If you are lying awake at night, get out of bed, sit in a darkened room and read until you feel sleepy and then go back to bed.
Why Does it Work?
When we have trouble sleeping, our brain starts to associate the bed with being awake. We can start to link it with anxiety around sleep or with stress. When we start using it as a place to hang out and watch movies or scroll, we add to that association, and before we know it, bed is for everything except sleep. Using your bed only for sleep starts to retrain your brain to see the bed as a place for rest and sleep.
Sleep is a really important part of our overall health and wellbeing, and extensive research is being conducted on the many ways it helps us. If you are struggling with sleep for an extended period and have no explanation for it, it’s worth getting some help. There are a number of specialists who can help with sleep issues, including GPs, psychologists, and naturopaths.
These are just some ways you can support your sleep. Sleep is the foundation on which everything else is built; small changes and good sleep routines can make all the difference.
Article supplied with thanks to Lorrene McClymont.
About the Author: Lorrene McClymont is a writer and photographer from Hope Images. On her blog ‘Moments to Rest’, she shares about rest, faith, and family.
Feature image: Canva